Skies of Eternity
by Anariana
Summary: Erune Fae and her three sisters had a mission: Travel through the Breach that appeared suddenly in Arborea and find a way to close the rifts on the other side. Little did she and her sisters know what Fate would have in store for them when they entered this new world. You do not need to know about Tera online to read this story.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 (rewrite)

The Rift

In the empty darkness of the void, the Goddess waited silently.

The world was constantly changing, but the Goddess had long left Arborea behind. She had witnessed the consequences of her actions. Her husband punished the races before vanishing from his elven children forever. The Divine War ended many lives and weakened the Gods, and the Argon Conflict had plagued the lands for centuries. Now, the God Lakan's cult of Devas and Archdevas was on rise.

But now, things had turned for the worse. The Goddess's daughter, Mystel, who had the power of foresight, had already been weakened from the Divine War, there was no way she could have seen this event coming, especially when it involved forces not from their world…

The Goddess had watched helplessly as the two corrupted beings began their plans.

She sighed and looked on from the void. The Goddess had been waiting for this moment, for her last gifts to the world to truly prove themselves.

"My children," She spoke to herself. "Your test begins now."

* * *

A deafening crack echoed, shaking the ground; Erune and Princess Rida jolted from their meditation in the small, secluded stone room.

"What in the-" Rida began, hopping to her feet, her sleek squirrel tail sweeping around her skirts as she stormed to the door. Erune quickly followed after Rida, the fur on her cat tail still puffed up in shock.

As she came up beside the Elin Princess and looked up at the Arborean sky, her purple eyes widened in horror.

Bright green etched itself furiously across the sky - an oozing wound, a long gash across the blue canvas.

And then the rip burst.

From the middle of the crack, a large, swirling bolt of green light shot down and exploded upon the earth. The ground shook immensely, nearly toppling Erune over. She and Princess Rida braced against the rippling shockwave that blew through the valley. Erune's nose wrinkled at the pungent smell of burnt brimstone that came from the green fissure, far from Pora Elinu.

As the quake lessened, the Priestess blinked slowly before raising her head. The swirling spire of crackling green energy stretching from the sky crack continued to whip around in the distance.

Soon after the fissure appeared, sounds of chaos erupted from the rebuilt city of Pora Elinu; Princess Rida began barking out orders to her guards.

For Erune though, the world around her became muffled and then muted as she focused on the green spire.

"Oh, Goddess Elinu..." She whispered to herself. "What is happening?"

* * *

[A few days later...]

Eirai shot two arrows at the ghostly being that had rushed towards her, the strange ghoulish creature letting out a blood-curdling screech before boiling away into green smoke, which was quickly sucked back into the small green tear that mirrored the one in the sky.

The rabbit Elin's ears winced from the howl of the defeated monster, but the rest of the creatures had finally been extinguished. She looked over at her friend, Finnoe, and nodded.

Finnoe signaled for her colleagues to work quickly - the Mysterium Order scholars moving to set down glyph pillars around the green crystalized tear. Once the totems were put in position, the barrier was activated, sealing the area around the rift.

"That's the last of them here." Finnoe remarked, marking down in her notebook the quarantined areas in the region.

There are still more, though." Eirai noted. "Your co-workers cannot simply cover every single one of these rifts."

Since the green spire had appeared in the sky, numerous smaller version of the tears had also appeared around the two continents that made up Arborea. From these rifts, strange beings burst forth. None of the bestiary records had seen such monsters before-not even the Archdevas' monstrous experiments resembled them.

"Of course not." the Fox Elin huffed, tossing her twin blonde braids over her shoulders. "We've only contained the ones near towns and cities. Refugees have been coming in for some time now." She glanced at her friend. "Have you heard from the Federation leaders? They've been discussing the matter for quite a while, - I expect them to call on you and your sisters soon..."

Slinging her bow on her back, Eirai crossed her arms. "The Federation is still trying to understand who this new foe is. Princess Rida has also been called in on their meeting as far as I know."

"Princess Rida?" Finnoe paused in her notes, surprised.

Eirai nodded. "Apparently such events are troubling, even for our Gods. Rida told Erune that the Goddesses Seren and Mystel have expressed concern." She glanced back at the quarantined rift through her magenta bangs and mused aloud. "The Archdevas have been silent since we last drove their leader into hiding, so who is this new foe?"

"The Mysterium Order is running tests as we speak." Finnoe answered, tucking away her notebook. "Hopefully we will have some answers soon."

* * *

[Elsewhere…]

Amongst the withered old elvhen trees sat countless rows of large mirrors. Some had large cracks; pieces of glass gone for centuries now. Others held no reflection, their insides dark and bleak. However, a lone mirror still functioned, its magic flowing out into the elderly woman's palm.

The woman had her eyes closed in concentration, listening to the echoes from the mirror's hidden network. She ignored the twinges of disturbances from the Fade and continued to search for an outlet, the place where her world ended and another's began.

At last, a reply.

"Who are you?" She questioned the alien force.

She felt a response. Its name was Seren, Moon-Goddess of Arborea. When it asked the old woman for her name, she smirked.

"Some call me a God, but my name is of little concern. More importantly, it appears that our worlds are now linked - as well as our fates. Because of this, I cannot stand by idly and let this continue."

* * *

[A few days later…]

Eruno loudly chewed on some sugar pine taffy, her arms behind her head as she and her three siblings walked through the halls of the Federation headquarters in Velika, one of the three main capitals. The Valkyon Federation was an alliance composed of seven of the main races of Arborea, each of their leaders from each of the capitals.

Over the last few years, the Federation had called upon the Fae Sisters, special agents to help investigate delicate matters concerning the welfare of the nation-particularly since two of the Elins were considered Mystel's Chosen.

The Fae Sisters consisted of Eruno Fae and her twin sister, Erune, and their two older twin sisters, Eirai and Zyllian Fae. The youngers twins were Mystel's Chosen while the older two were unofficially titled as their Guardians.

"So," Eruno began, rolling the candy idly between her teeth. "Guess they finally figured out something?"

"We shall see." Zyllian said sharply, the Elin Reaper standing out the most from the rest of her Elin kin.

While Elins tended to have the tails and either ears or horns of the animals that were found in nature, when Zyllian appeared with the Reapers during the Argon war, some of these Elins had demonic horns and wispy long tails that looked as though they had been dipped in dark black ink.

Zyllian's eye twitched in disgust at her younger sister's laid-back behavior as Eruno continued to loudly chew. Instead of admonishing her though, the Reaper focused her attention forward.

Erune kept wringing her hands. It was too soon for her to be sent on another mission. Especially after - she mentally shook her head to clear the grim thoughts that continued to plagued the corners of her mind. Eirai noticed her sister's discomfort and gave her a pat on her shoulder as they walked together.

As the sisters came across a set of double doors, the human and elf guards nodded at the girls before opening the doors to announce their presence.

The administration room was massive, countless shelves of books and scrolls lined the walls, stretching high up above to the glass ceiling. Through the windows, sunlight beamed down upon the large world map in the center of the room. The Federation's world leaders surrounded the map, with Princess Rida taking center stage.

Though she looked like a child, like other Elins, Princess Rida had the age and experience equivalent to the leaders that stood before her. Many had long learned not to take the youthful-faced race so lightly, as some like Rida had lived far longer than a typical human's lifespan.

Upon noticing the Fae Sisters' presence, the Elin Princess curtsied before turning to address the four. The rest of the leaders continued to discuss amongst each other.

"Perfect timing." Rida's well-groomed squirrel tail swished around in excitement.

Eirai was the first to salute, followed by the rest of her siblings. "I take it that you have information?"

"Yes, we do. Seren contacted me. The large fissure," Rida moved aside to gesture at the green mark upon the world map. Various smaller marks littered the rest of the parchment. "is called The Breach, a Rift that is a gateway-to another dimension-to another world."

The Fae Sisters fell silent, the information sinking in.

Eruno's mouth gaped. "Yer fucking kidding, right?" The squirrel Elin started to scoff, only to nudged hard in the ribs by Zyllian. "Ouch!" Her older sister only replied with a glare.

Princess Rida rolled her eyes before continuing. "No, I am not. The creatures that have come forth from these rifts are demons from the Fade-the spiritual realm for that world-similar to the Dream for us.

Seren has managed to contact one of the Gods from that world. The Breach originated from there, but the cause of it stretching into our world was not simply done from just one person.

While they themselves do not often interfere in the affairs of their people, the 'God' could sense that this incident was assisted by someone from our side."

"Do they know who that person is?" Eirai spoke up.

Princess Rida shook her head. "No, they do not. The 'God' was unable to discern who or what they are-only that their aura originated from our dimension."

Zyllian's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms in suspicion. "Can we even trust this…'God'?"

"We cannot," Rida answered. "But they are the only ones we are able to contact and gain information from. Mystel's foresight is unable to see things that are happening in that world, so we must rely on that 'God' for now. Seren, Mystel, and the other Gods agreed.

"There is apparently someone on the other side who may be able to close these rifts, but they do not know how drastic the situation really is, as it affects us as well. We cannot rely on whoever this person is to fix things in a timely manner. This is where you four come in." She looked at the four. "The others and I have discussed about sending envoys over to the other side to aid the person who can seal off the Breach. Mystel has already placed her opinion in the matter: she sees you four as the best choice."

"Only us?" Eruno questioned.

"Seren has discussed with this God about the races from our world and theirs. They have humans and elves like we do, but would possibly view Castanics as demons. Amani and Baraka also look similar to their "Qunari" and golems.

If we are to convince the people of this other world about the conflict that affects us both, we must send a race that looks alien, yet unintimidating. The "God' apparently took quite a fondness to us Elins and Popori, saying we look the most innocent." Rida then huffed, her tail ruffling in annoyance. "Just because Elinu crafted our race to initially have very youthful bodies does not mean one should not take us seriously. Honestly, much of us have lived for many years and-" The Princess continued to rant to herself in front of the Fae Sisters, who were all watching her with stupefied looks.

Erune delicately raised her hand and spoke up with a small voice. "Um," Princess Rida halted in her disgruntled mumbling. "If the Popori also suffice, why are none also being sent?"

Rida placed her hands on her hips. "Eventually the 'God' thought Popori just looked like 'dwarves' or whatever race they have, in animal costumes. Besides, the 'God' can only aid a few of us to their world. And then there is Mystel's recommendation based on her foresight. While she cannot see the events in that world-nor can she identify who the perpetrator who caused it-she sees that you, the Fae Sisters, must go there to handle these affairs."

"Does the 'God' know who started the Breach on their side?" Eruno asked. When Rida shook her head in reply, Eruno snorted. "So... we have an unknown evil from their world who was assisted by an unknown evil from our world, that cause this great fiasco which is threatening both their world and ours, but it appears that there is someone on the other side who can close these rifts?" The Princess nodded at Eruno's annotated summary of the situation.

"Whoever this person is, they do not know about the enemy from our world." Eirai noted, Rida agreeing with the oldest Fae sister. "Simply standing by and relying on them to seal the rifts in a timely manner to avoid threatening either of our worlds is not enough. Besides, entrusting our faith in them to even do the job is risky. Will they even help prevent the threat or not?"

"If they don't do anything, it'll be considered an act of war. Especially since it's from their world to ours." Zyllian growled out from behind her mask.

"Indeed. We cannot wait, as time is of the essence." Princess Rida said sternly. "Seren and the 'God' have arranged to take you to the other world." She then paused, her eyes downcast. "You four may be gone for a long time, so be sure to take everything that you need for this journey."

"We'll be ready in three days' time." Eirai made a salute to the Elin Princess, her sisters following suit.

* * *

As her older sisters and twin walked down the hall to pick up their Federation-issued supplies, Eruno hung back to see if one of their friends was present.

Skipping down the halls, the squirrel Elin poked her head in the soldier barracks and grinned when she saw that the large Amani was there, busy sharpening his broadsword on the bench, his back to her.

Before she could try and sneak up on him, he grunted: "I heard you before you came in. Don't even try jumping on me." Arzel stood up at his full height and turned to face her. The Amani's massive form towered over the Elin as she craned her head to look up at his shark-like face.

The Amani were very draconic in their features, their thick skin resembling hardened reptilian scales with large horns protruding from their heads.

"You're no fun." Eruno folded her arms and faked a pout. Arzel let out a soft chuckle, to which Erune returned before lightly punching him in the side. "So, whatcha doing?"

Arzel looked his sword over before putting it aside. "With this 'Breach' going on, the Federation has been sending many of us agents out to the other capital cities. I am to be stationed in Allementheia." He looked down at the small Elin. "I've been told what you and your sisters will be doing of course. Traveling to this other 'world' are you?"

Eruno shrugged. "Yeah. Looks like we might be gone for a while."

The Amani reached down and ruffled the Elin's green hair. "You take care of yourself, alright?"

Grinning back at her friend, Eruno puffed out her chest with pride. "Don't worry! I'll be fine! Since my sis and I are Chosen Ones!"

Arzel let out a louder laugh this time.

* * *

[Later…in Pora Elinu...]

Zyllian walked past a Castanic who was sobbing in front of the memorial of their Elin friend who had passed recently. Under her mask, she wrinkled her nose and had to remind herself that the Castanic wasn't a Deva or Archdeva-she could smell their filth anywhere.

Ignoring the mourner, she continued past the remnants of other graves for her Elin kin. Some gravestones had been removed after the appearance of the Reapers; her eyes avoided one particular spot and made her way up the stone steps surrounded by flowers.

The guards bowed and allowed the Reaper access to the sacred gravesite-exclusively for the Elin royalty, though it had very few occupants.

Before her were two very recent placards of the names of the two princesses who had lost their lives:

 _Syona_ and _Zolyn_

Kneeling before the crests, she removed her mask and gently traced the letters of Zolyn's name.

"My Lady-" She stopped herself.

No. She wasn't Zolyn's retainer anymore. After... what had happened, her oath was void when they became Reapers.

She could have re-invoked it, but she was ashamed.

Ashamed of how things had turned out.

Ashamed of the other Elin's blood on her hands.

Ashamed that she couldn't do anything to save her.

 _Please Zyllian...This is my last order to you…_ The words echoed in Zyllian's head, her hands turning into tight fists until the nails dug into her palms. Images of a deformed hand reaching out to her before the corruption took over the Princess once again.

Taking deep breaths, she calmed the shadows that crept close to her form. Leaning forward, she rested her forehead upon the letters and spoke with a low voice. "Lady Zolyn, I have to go away for some time-but I promise you. You WILL be avenged…I WILL find him, no matter what it takes."

She slipped on her mask, sealing herself off from the world before rising and leaving the gravesite.

* * *

Finishing the last of the ties on the supplies, Eirai placed the items in her knapsack, letting out a satisfied noise as they disappeared into its depths without a trace. Her rabbit ears twitched at the sound of the front door opening, followed by a set of light footsteps. Turning around, Eirai found her friend Finnoe standing in the doorway of her bedroom, the fox Elin musing to herself while cleaning off her monocle.

"So," Finnoe began, putting her monocle back on, her blonde braids bouncing back. "The Federation has informed the Mysterium order of their plans-mainly about the Fae sisters."

Eirai nodded. "So soon after the events of the Northern Arun expedition too." She let out a sigh. "I worry for Erune and Zyllian. Those two still haven't gotten over it."

"I read the reports. It has been hard for all of us Elins with our Princesses' deaths." While the Mysterian scholar had left residency of Pora Elinu years ago, she and other Elins who migrated away from the forest city still held their royalty in high regard. Finnoe sat down on a chair in the room and folded her hands in her lap. "How bad is it for those two?"

Eirai settled down on the large bed across from her friend, lifting her head up to look at the ceiling. "Zyllian...has become snapper than usual. She has lashed out against Castanic soldiers-especially ones who defected from the Devas."

"The shadows?"

"They are growing slowly stronger, but I've been keeping an eye on her. Though she hasn't been getting much sleep lately."

Dragging a hand down her face, Eirai let out another loud sigh. "Erune has been depressed like Zyllian, but her way of coping is different. She had been seeing Princess Rida for meditations often, but this new mission right after what had happened - she's not ready."

"It cannot be helped." Finnoe agreed sadly. She knew how fragile the youngest Elin was. The poor Priestess had shut down when they returned back home after the expedition a couple of months ago, she had been utterly traumatized by the incident. "She may never be ready for such things-but the world cannot wait for her-not while our enemies are still plotting their next moves."

"I know." Eirai relented. It was hard sometimes, being the oldest of the four. She had to be the one to take care of her younger sisters. Still, she tried her best to help the three through their struggles, as she had no one to turn to for comfort when she was alone before. "I just wish there was more I could do for her."

* * *

Rays of sunshine fell down upon the lake's rippling surface. At the edge of the water, Erune knelt, her hands in prayer as she meditated, her mind dancing through the wisps of the Dream.

"Erune?" Princess Rida's voice broke the Priestess's concentration, the sounds of laughter from children fading as Erune's mind was brought back to the physical world. Rising from the flattened grass, she turned and curtsied to the Elin princess.

"Greetings my Lady."

"We will be leaving soon. Are you ready?"

Erune hesitated, gripping the hem of her robes. She tried to swallow the lump that developed in her throat as she replied to her Princess and mentor. "I... I don't know…" Nervously, she clutched her hands to her chest.

Rida noticed Erune's uneasiness. "What's wrong?"

Tears pricked the corner of Erune's purple eyes. "I'm scared my Lady," She confessed aloud, her head ducked down in shame. "What if I fail? What if I can't do anything like last time? What if I can't save anyone like-" Erune burst into sobs. Rida quickly grabbed her shoulders, reaching to wipe the young Elin's tears.

"I know Erune I know. It wasn't your fault though."

"B,but...Paesyn...and Lady Zolyn...I was too late…" The Princess winced at the mention of her sister's name. Zolyn and the Popori, Paesyn, had been with the four during the expedition. During that time, they had learned of Princess Syona's fate when she had gone on ahead as a scouting party for the exploration.

"It wasn't your fault Erune. Neither my sister Arin, the Queen, nor I blame you for their deaths."

"I... I just..." She continued to cry into her hands. Rida let Erune sob freely until she finally calmed down a little. "I'm scared of being alone. I know my sisters will be there but…"

"You won't be alone Erune. The Dream connects us. Even if its reach is farther away when you are in another world-you will still be able to tap into it. The Children will be with you." The squirrel princess hugged her protege. "And Seren will watch over you and your sisters." Kissing the top of Erune's head, just above her circlet, Rida drew back and smiled. "Now come, the others are waiting."

* * *

Much of their magical items and equipment had to be left behind, Rida advised the four that the distance from being from the Dream would render such devices ineffective. Eruno had pouted when she was told she couldn't take her snow tiger mount friend. Finnoe assured the four she would take good care of their belongings while they were gone, to which Eirai nodded in thanks to her friend.

* * *

The Fae sisters and Princess Rida were escorted by Federation soldiers across the desolate, quarantined plains towards the Breach. When the group finally reached the crater, they saw energy swirling around and ascending to the hole in the sky.

A tall woman stood at the edge of crater with her back turned to them, her robes flowing in the air the spire's energy was stirring up. One of the guardsmen shouted at her to leave the quarantine zone and drew their weapon, but Princess Rida told him to stand down. The woman then turned to the group.

The woman was elderly but held an air of pride and strength. Parts of her shaggy white hair were styled into two horns on each side of her head. She smiled as the group approached.

"So, you are the Elin Princess Rida? Your Goddess, Seren, has told me much about you." The woman surveyed the rest of the group, her pointed greaves clanking slightly as she spoke. "And I presume that these four girls are your representatives for our negotiations? All siblings?"

The Princess nodded. "Though I would not call them all girls, ma'am. The older two have already reached adulthood some time ago while their younger sisters are just in their prime."

A hoarse chuckle came from the old woman. "My my. Your race is very peculiar. Your lifespans are like elves but you show very little signs of age. No matter." She bowed to the group in a sign of respect. "To whom do I owe the pleasure to?"

Erune came forward and curtsied. "Greetings, God from another realm. I am Erune Fae, one of Pora Elinu's Priestesses, and youngest of the Fae sisters. What is your name, if I may ask?"

"Well, aren't you a polite young lady?" The Priestess flushed at the God's words. "However, my name is of little importance."

Princess Rida raised an eyebrow but Erune did not let that faze her. "It is an honor anyways."

"And who is the rest of your company, little one?"

Eirai strode next to her little sister's side. "I am Eirai, eldest of my sisters. Zyllian is my twin and the other is Eruno."

The woman looked at Eruno and Erune. "Ah, the fabled Chosen ones by your Gods. Excellent.

"Now that all the formalities are all out of the way, I presume you four are already ready to go." The eldest of the four glanced at her sisters before nodding. "Then, we shall depart."

Blue energy began to gather around the woman's hands, trailing off to surround the Fae sisters. She turned to the Rift and held up her hand to the spire, the magic from her hands creating a doorway to a dark abyss. A brief hint of metallic aroma filled the air around her.

Stepping partway into the abyss, she beckoned the four to follow. The Fae sisters looked back one last time at their world before entering the portal. As soon as they all entered, it closed behind them.

"May the grace of the Gods guide you four." Rida whispered.

* * *

"What is this place?" Eruno wondered aloud as she looked around in amazement.

Boulders both massive and weightless, architecture torn from its foundations from places far forgotten, dangling spindles of rubble and landmasses strayed too far from their rightful place were suspended eerily, a putrid ochre miasma hanging itself in the air where it ought to seek the ground instead.

The smell of ozone filled the air.

"This, my dears, is the Fade. Magic comes from here, as well as demons and spirits. Mages from this world receive their magical power from this place and can enter it spiritually in their dreams. Souls of those who die return to the Fade."

"Like the Dream from our world." Erune was in awe but then hesitated. "But, it does not feel comforting like it…"

"The Dream does not have demons. That is probably why." Zyllian spoke in a quiet voice. "I feel uneasy here…"

The elderly woman began to walk away from the four. "Come. This is not a place for the inexperienced to linger. Be on your guard."

The four trailed after the woman through the strange realm in silence. Eirai stalked ahead of her sisters. "Where do you plan on leading us out to? I would presume that this... Fade is not our final destination."

The woman turned her head and smirked while continuing to stroll casually away. "You are correct, but worry not. Our entryway was the Breach in your world, and our outlet is where the Breach originated."

"When we arrive, what customs should we be aware of? Besides the fact that there is this Breach and soon-to-be inter-dimensional relations now."

"Planning ahead, I see. Very wise. However, it is not my place to explain. You must educate yourselves when you arrive."

Erune held her staff close. "Will you not come with us? Perhaps your presence could ease the people's hostility over our appearances."

The woman laughed at Erune's comment. "My dear. Unlike your Gods who willingly show themselves often, I would rather avoid the people. I have experienced enough of their madness to stay away from their affairs."

Zyllian's eyes narrowed. "Then why are you helping us?" Her armored fists clenched as she eyed the woman warily.

The woman stopped walking and turned to look at them. "I only interfere to help nudge history along its path. Some things need more of a shove than a simple nudge.

"Fate is inevitable for everyone. I have seen what your Goddess of Fate has seen. This crossover of the Breach has interrupted the histories of our worlds and we must mend it to bring back order to our Fates.

"If you solve the cause of this unforeseen event, things will resume as they once were and should be." She paused and frowned, her eyes focusing on something in the distance in the whirling mists around them. "They have arrived sooner than I expected. Now is the time you must make haste without my part as a chaperone." A roar echoed through the air, startling the four.

Blue energy crackled in her fists. "Follow the path and you will reach the outlet. I will hold them off as much as I can, but some may get past me. Try not to let them through the outlet with you." She lifted a hand to point ahead of the group before purposefully striding away in the opposite direction.

"Come on, it's time to go." Eirai hurried ahead, closely followed by Zyllian. Eruno glanced back one more time before trailing after her sisters.

Erune took a long look at the departing woman. "Thank you." She murmured. "May the grace of my Gods bless you." Turning around, she ran to catch up with the rest.

The woman chuckled. "Such a polite little lady. Now…"

Giant segmented legs clambered over the ruins, heaving up a grotesque, bulbous form, attended by a seething mass of arachnids. The woman smiled. "Your timing is impeccable. Shall we?"

The vast creature opened its gaping mandibles and hissed.

* * *

High shrill screeches rang out among the chunks of ruins that the four ran through. Loud roars followed the shrieks.

Eruno whipped her head around to find the sources. "How much further?" She yelled above the noise.

Eirai looked ahead at a crossroad. "I don't know, but we have to stay together. Stick close-" A bony hand burst out of the ground near her. "RUN!" The other three followed her down a random path, avoiding more arms that exploded from the ground.

The restless arms wrenched themselves from the dirt, revealing themselves to be green, elongated beasts - malnourished and skeletal. Their bony tails whipped back and forth as they up righted themselves and turned their hollow, yellow eyes to their prey. Other creatures burst out of their hardened cocoons in a shower of molten slag, fiery arms outstretched. Some slithered up from their shallow graves, unwinding their spindly, cloaked bodies, covered with a fog of ice. The lesser of these beings rose with the filth of the ground itself, forming themselves into hooded figures, quickly gliding along the ground in the direction of the Elins.

Thudding footsteps of armored legs tearing through the ground signaled the approach of the army's general. The demon had massive, swollen biceps with calloused spikes jutting from its elbows. As its seven spider-like eyes landed on the girls, the creature it reared its crustacean head up and bellowed, piercing the battlefield and dampening the morale of the four.

Eruno swore under her breath. "We can't run forever, sis! We already lost the path!"

Zyllian growled under her mask. "That damn 'God' left us here to die!"

"This way!" An unknown voice called out. The four looked in the direction to the source.

A golden glowing form of woman beckoned to them. "Hurry! I am here to help!" She turned to run through the mist, away from the screams of the demons pursuing the group. "Quickly!"

"Eirai?" Zyllian glanced at her sister for orders.

Eirai furrowed her brow. "We have little choice." She dashed after the spirit.

The Fae sisters followed the glowing figure through more ruins until they reach a broken wall with a green fissure on the stone's surface.

The radiant being put her hand on the wall besides the green shimmering scar. "This is your outlet."

"But it's closed." Eruno frowned.

"I cannot open it. You must wait for someone else to do so." The noise of the demons began to approach.

Zyllian turned and got into a stance, holding her twin scythes out. "Whoever it is, better hurry…" She snarled.

Eirai let loose a flurry of arrows: as they landed, they transformed into small trap glyphs. "We have to hold these demons off until then. Like the 'God' said, we cannot let them through."

Smirking, Eruno hefted her axe from her back. "Well, time for a warm-up exercise! Bring it on!"

The demons were visible now and coming closer, their general leading the assembly. It let out a loud roar before charging.

A low hissing sound came from behind Erune, causing her cat ears to twitch. She looked at the fissure on the wall. Cracks began to form around the scar, causing it to widen. "Eirai, the fissure is opening!" She cried out.

The four let their guard down for a split-second. The hulking demon dodged Eirai's traps to let the other demons be caught instead as it threw itself at the group. It lifted its arms and summoned a ball of coursing energy with an intoxicating scent around it.

Eruno jerked her attention back and tried to make a shield barrier with her axe, but the demon's energy blast barreled into the four. As the explosion knocked them back, the fissure behind them opened, pulling them through the portal.

Zyllian, Eirai, and Eruno hit the rocky ground while Erune collided into a soft surface that grunted before falling backwards.

Erune struggled to get up from the body she crashed into, her eyes moved from the green coat fabric, to the grey scarf, to a pale tattooed elven face with sea-blue eyes and white hair. His left hand glowed with the same green glow as the Breach.

The elf opened his eyes after closing them from the impact. He looked back up at the opened portal where the glowing being vanished and then stared at her in disbelief.

"By the Creators…" He breathed. "Who are you?"

* * *

The Goddess smiled to herself as she watched from the void, the wheels of fate linking with one another.

Two who were still young and learning, the anxiety hidden behind their naive masks

Two who suffered a great deal of hardship; both burying their darkest secrets from their forgotten pasts

And one who was like each of these four, learning to survive, their decisions not always the best but they tried to do what was right.

Even so, the anger within them reminded the Goddess of her husband. How his rage from grief hurt those around him.

But that's what the other four were for. To help this one. To heal this one's pain while having theirs mended as well.

She was not the only one to know of this. Others were aware of these events that were to come. She knew how each of them, including herself, played a part in the destinies for these five.

Now, it was time to see how it all unfolded.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Temple of Ashes

Snow buffeted the dwarf's face as he watched the sky explode; green cracks forming around the hole. Far away from the source as he was, the dwarf could barely make out a spire stretching up to the hole in the sky.

"Well then." He huffed, adjusting his hood, shielding his face from the harsh wind. Icicles clung to the thick hair on his face.

The shock wave from the explosion soon followed. The dwarf knelt in the snowbank, holding tightly to his staff as the shockwave blew more snowflakes in his direction.

He hoped that the door to his cave home was strong enough to handle the sudden rush of wind.

A smile graced the hermit's lips as four voices of his spirit friends whispered to him words of reassurance that his shelter was safe. Using his staff as a crutch, he lifted himself out of the snow to get a better look at the green hole in the sky.

"Then She and her sisters soon will follow…" He murmured. A steamy chuckle came about in response to one of the voices that questioned him. "Not now...we cannot meet with them yet. For now, we must wait."

The voices made a noise of agreement. The dwarven hermit turned then to head back to his hovel. "They will be alright. They are strong."

* * *

The first thing Quen noticed when he regained conscious was the taste of ash in his mouth. Struggling to get up, he found himself surrounded by green-hued mist and soot. Wiping his lips, he looked around and tried to remember what had happened.

He was here to spy on the Conclave and then- Quickly, his eyes darted around the space, looking for his companions.

"Adaar? Trevelyan? Cadash?" The elf called out into the abyss. The only answer his pointed ears picked up was the howling wind.

Something on the palm of his left hand stung. He turned his head down to remove his glove when suddenly, he heard noises in front of him. Figures grew larger through the green fog.

* * *

The next thing he knew, he was running, his glove forgotten on the ground. The skittering of the giant spiders and groans of the-no, he did not want to think of them, close at his heels.

Ahead of him, he saw a white light, which he started towards. As he drew closer, he found the source of the light high up a steep wall of rubble.

The elf scrambled up on the rocks, trying to avoid slipping and falling back down to the hordes of demonic arachnids and other things climbing up behind him. His muscles were in a full flight response as the rubble grew steeper and steeper the higher he climbed.

A loose rock under his foot caused him to stumble but he caught himself at the last second, sharp tiny pebbles digging into his uncovered hand-but he kept going.

At the top of the wall was a woman who was glowing with a golden light-Quen was too anxious from fleeing the monsters below to make out her face as she reached out to him. He raised his left arm to grab the helping hand.

The elf fell out from the Fade onto the newly fallen snow around the crater of what was left of the Temple of Ashes. Before he blacked out he heard a group of soldiers run up to him shouting. The palm of his left-hand stinging.

* * *

The faint smell of crystal grace slowly roused Quen from his sleep. He felt his mother's soft hands caress his face while his eyes stayed closed.

" _Quen, my child,"_ Her melodic voice filled his ears. He missed how his mother used to care for him like this. " _I love you so much."_ Even with his eyes closed, he could picture her braided blonde hair with flowers delicately hidden amongst the weaves to give off that floral scent over her right shoulder. A gentle smile would have graced her face which lacked any Vallaslin.

" _Be strong, little one, for what is to come."_ She paused, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Protect _those you love-but do not give in to the anger that gives you strength."_ The tone of her voice became sad. " _I...I'm sorry I was unable to teach you more._ "

This was wrong. His mother had been gone for almost a decade now. Even so, it was comforting to feel her presence again-but how?

Before he could open his mouth to call out to his mother, his left hand suddenly flared up, causing him to cry out. The pain coiled up to his shoulder, the blood in his veins turning to ice while bolts of electricity spasmed through his muscles.

The elf tried to clutch his arm to his chest but found both of his wrists encased in shackles. He sucked in a breath as the pain began to slowly subside, letting out a gasp as he opened his eyes and found himself on a cold stone floor of a cell.

"He's awake. Alert the Seeker and Nightingale." He heard the cell door screech open. Unknown arms grabbed him roughly and pulled him out of the cell, dragging him to the center of the room.

In his peripheral vision, Quen noted five guards, their weapons at the ready as they waited.

As Quen sat on the floor, he turned his left palm upward, gasping silently to himself. A ragged gash on the palm of his hand was leaking intense green light. He could see that the nerves on his uncovered hand bulged with the faint green glow from the scar, the network of green lines crawling up his hand like spider webs. The protrusion of his nerves could be felt all the way to his shoulder under his clothes. It was a strange feeling to be able to feel the detail of the weave of his coat.

The mark on his hand blazed in pain again and the elf shouted, biting his lower lip, wincing at the intense spasms that went through his arm. He heard the guards shift nervously, the grip on their weapons growing tighter. Two drew their swords and pointed them at the elf in warning.

Quen's heart thumped against his chest rapidly. _What was going on? What was happening to him?_

The clanging of the metal door drew the elf's attention back to the room. In the doorway stood two women. One of them had short black hair and a braid wrapped around like a circlet, and a scar on the edge of the left side of her cheek. The other woman had a fair face with neck-length reddish hair covered by her cowl. The guards sheathed their swords and left the room, leaving the two human women alone with Quen.

As the black-haired woman circled Quen, she spoke aloud, her tone harsh and pointed. "Tell me why we shouldn't just kill you right now?"

Quen blinked at the human in confusion, unsure how to reply. The woman sneered and continued in her interrogation. "The Conclave is destroyed." Quen shot his head up, his eyes widened. "Everyone who attended is dead."

"...Dead…?" The elf shook slightly. His mind immediately went to his friends he had made and had accompanied along to the meeting between Mages, Templars and the Chantry.

Although he was originally sent by his clan's Keeper as a spy while being a hired hand for the Trevelyan noble, he had warmed to the company of the human and the other two hired bodyguards: the qunari mage and dwarven warrior.

The four of them had become fast friends, even if each of them had their own personal agendas bringing them to the Conclave meeting. The last night the group spent together before they reached Haven village to head to the Sacred Temple, each of them confessed aloud what they had hoped the meeting would bring.

Overall, their wishes had been for peace-some kind of level ground that meant the end of the civil war between Mages and Templars. Little as the four had in common, they shared a longing for, if not, perfect harmony, at least an end to the worst ravages of war. The various factions might never reconcile, but perhaps they could be brought to tolerate each other. They had hoped to be together still as friends in this dream.

That dream would never come true now.

"Yes. Dead. The Divine included." The hooded human woman spoke, eyeing Quen with a sharp gaze.

Divine Justinia. Trevelyan had explained who she was to Quen when he asked, being a Dalish elf often cut off from most of human society. She was the head of the Chantry whom the rest of the followers looked up to for advice.

Quen himself did not believe in the Chantry's faith, but if this Divine could help petition for peace at the Conclave, and if the masses of people (as the Chantry was, in fact, the major religion of Thedas) could listen to her word, he was with her.

And now she was dead too.

"Everyone perished in the explosion. All but you." The black-haired woman stopped in front of Quen and jabbed her finger accusingly at him.

The gears in Quen's mind turned rapidly, coming to a conclusion. "You think I did it."

He yelped as the woman forcefully grabbed his left wrist in the shackles and held it up to his face. The nerves all along his arm reacted violently, causing him to grit his teeth, hissing as his sharp canines cut his lip. The mark blazed in a fiery fury.

"Explain this!"

"I don't know!" He yanked his arm back (wincing as pulling it away stimulated the nerves even more) and cradled it carefully against his chest; the glow from the mark refusing to dim.

"What do you mean you do not know?" The hooded woman shifted and walked the opposite way of her acquaintance in circling Quen.

"I don't know what it is-or how it got there." Quen gasped, his face burning from the agony of the mark's violent aches. Sweat dripped from his forehead and down the bridge of his nose, his breath coming out in rapid pants against the cold air.

He was then suddenly grabbed at the collar by the black-haired woman, her eyes burning in anger. "You're lying!"

His vision went pinkish red. Letting out a low growl, he snarled. "Do not...TOUCH ME!" Shoving her back harshly, he bared his teeth at the woman. His hands twitched-he wished he wasn't shackled so he could fight back.

The black-haired woman reached for the sword on her belt in retaliation, but was backed off by the hooded one. "We need him, Cassandra!" She said sternly.

Cassandra scoffed, withdrawing her hand from her sword hilt. "Fine. You deal with him then."

As the two looked back at Quen, the hooded woman knelt at the elf's level to get a closer look at his face.

Quen glared at the woman, still apprehensive from Cassandra-he was unsure what this other woman would do to try and accuse him. "I don't know what happened!" He spat, clearly worked up over the whole situation. "My friends are dead and I don't know why-and you are acting as though it's my fault?! I don't even know what this mark on my hand is-" Looking away from Leliana, he slumped his head forward. "I can't believe it...all those people...dead…"

Waiting for the young man calm down finally, the hooded woman spoke in a calm, but controlled, manner. "What do you remember?"

The elf tried to recollect what fragments of memory he had. "I was...running. Things were chasing me, and then...a woman?"

"A woman?" She raised an eyebrow.

"She...reached out to me...but then…" Shaking his head in confusion at the rest of his memories, he slowly looked back at the red-haired woman. "What's going on?"

As she opened her mouth to speak, Cassandra interrupted her. "Perhaps it is better if I show you. Leliana, you go to the forward camp while I take him to Solas and Varric at the Rift."

Bowing her head, Leliana left the two in the cells. Cassandra strode forward, helping Quen to his feet. Switching out his shackles for a simple rope that bound his wrists together, she then led him up the stairs and through a dark room; Quen noted to himself that he was in the dungeon basement of the Chantry of Haven, judging by the Andrastian tapestry that hung upon the walls of the long room-he had also followed Trevelyan into this building before they left to climb the mountain to the Temple of Sacred Ashes.

Exiting the building through the large wooden double-doors, Quen raised his arms at the sudden bright green light in the night sky. His mouth fell open at the sight of the green spire that rose high above the mountain tops. Giant chunks of rock circled around the spire that cut into the sky itself.

"We call it "The Breach"." Quen glanced back at Cassandra as she continued. "It's a massive rift into the Fade, summoning demons from it. It grows larger with each passing hour." She turned to him. "It is not the only such rift. Just the largest. Various smaller versions are scattered across Thedas. All of which were caused by the explosion at the Conclave."

Quirking an eyebrow, Quen eyed the woman. "How can an explosion do that?"

Snow fell around the two of them. "We do not know. Unless we act, the Breach may grow until it swallows the world." As she spoke, the Breach crackled with more energy-the mark on Quen's hand responded in turn, causing the elf to fall to his knees, tears fell from his face as he tried to handle the pain before collapsing on his side. Cassandra bent down to help him to his feet, her eyes showing a hint of sympathy. "Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads...and it is killing you." Staring into the woman's eyes as the pain subsided, Quen saw this time that Cassandra meant well for him. "Solas seems convinced that this mark of yours may be the key to stopping all of this-but there isn't much time. We don't even know if it will close the Breach or not. It is our only chance however-and yours."

Quen let out a strained chuckle. "Considering the situation, do you still really think I did this? And have myself end up like this as consequence?" He gestured to his left arm. Although he himself couldn't see it, he could feel the green nerves stretching up his cheek.

"Perhaps not intentionally- and even if you're not the one responsible-someone IS. You are just our only suspect at the moment." Cassandra inclined her head toward the Breach. "You wish to prove your innocence? This is the only way."

Quen went silent, thinking to himself. What choice did he have?

" _Be strong, little one, for what is to come."_ What did that mean? Did that vision of his mother mean this?

Clearly, Thedas was in chaos. He was pretty certain he didn't start this mess but if he was the only one at the moment who could fix it-he would.

" _Be strong."_

Those words echoed through him as he took a deep breath and nodded to Cassandra. "I understand. I will do what I can-whatever it takes."

Smiling in acknowledgment, Cassandra led him through Haven, the two of them avoiding the scrutinizing glares of the villagers who were held back by soldiers once they saw the elf.

As soon as the two were a distance from the village, Cassandra undid the binds on Quen's wrists. "The people are distraught over the death of the Divine and many are calling for your head. I can ensure a trial for you, but I can promise no more." Allowing the elf to have a moment to rub his wrists, she beckoned him along. "Come. It is not far."

The two headed up the hill, they stopped as the Breach pulsed faster, making Quen cry out, doubling over from the sudden sharp burning pain. As Cassandra pulled him to his feet a second time, she stared at his face. "Strange…" She noted. "The symptoms observed while you were unconscious were all associated with the green hue of the mark-but a pink glow keeps flickering around your left eye when the mark is reacting as you're awake...perhaps Solas will have an explanation."

"How...did I survive...the blast?" Cassandra looked back at Quen as he gasped out the words, the pink glow around his eye subsiding.

"They said you...stepped out of a rift, then fell unconscious." Quen stared at her like the woman just grew two heads. If he had come out of a rift-that meant he had to have come out of the Fade. He had physically been in the Fade and he wasn't even a mage-even mages weren't able to perform such a feat. How was that possible? Cassandra ignored his questioning look and continued. "They saw a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was though…" Shrugging, she continued on, Quen trailing after her.

As the two headed to the Breach, the spire shot out bolts of green energy nearby. Quen winced at the spasming shock in his arm that rhythmically synced up with the pulse of the rift.

 _Shhng!_ Hearing a sword being drawn, he watched Cassandra pull off her shield off her back, getting into a stance. "Stay here." She hissed before moving forward.

Quen watched as the ground where the bolt struck had summoned a small group of demons. Cassandra ran into the group, gathering their attention as she struck back, taking the demons down one by one.

Quen fell backward when the Breach burst out another bolt, this time landing in front of him. As a pair of elongated demon hands burst from the miasma left behind from the bolt, he tried to call out to the woman-but she was too busy trying to fight off the rest of the demons. Scrambling to his feet, Quen jerked his head around in search of a weapon. He had not noticed much earlier upon hurrying up the mountain, but now he saw bodies of other soldiers-those who tried to fight off demons from the rifts, he supposed.

The terror demon leapt out of the miasma, focusing its multitude of eyes on the elf, letting out a horrifying screech from its elongated maw before lunging at Quen. The elf rolled out of the demon's attack towards one of the soldier corpses, immediately reaching for a set of daggers that had fallen from the grip of one who had their chest run through earlier.

Ignoring his swollen nerves as he held the daggers with a tight grip, he turned to face the demon that started to stalk forward to him. Narrowing his eyes, he waited for the skeletal creature to lunge again, this time jumping to the side and ramming his daggers into the ribcage of the monster. Tearing the blades from the side of the monster as it let out a shriek, he twisted away from a swipe of one of its arms, striking back by thrusting the dagger through the terror demon's face. The creature gurgled before crumpling to the ground and dissipating into a green mist, leaving behind an ashy residue.

Quen breathed deeply. Turning around, he came face-first against the tip of Cassandra's sword. "Drop your weapon. Now." She growled at him.

The elf glared back. "Did you not see that demon attack me?" He waved at the pile of debris behind him where the terror demon had died. "If I'm going to have to follow you through a terrain full of monsters, it would be nice to have the reassurance that I can defend myself!"

Cassandra furrowed her brow at the accusation of not doing her job properly but stopped herself from lashing back at the elf. Sighing, she sheathed her sword. "You're right. I cannot always protect you." Nodding at him to keep the blades, she continued up the mountain path in front of them before pausing and glancing back. "I should remember you did agree to come willingly. My apologies."

Taken aback by the woman's sincere apology, Quen looked away, flushed by his own outburst. "It's okay. Let's keep going."

Making their way up the mountain, the two encountered one of the small rifts Cassandra had mentioned. Demons surrounded the small green crack in the air. A group of soldiers were fighting them off as Quen and Cassandra ran in to help.

As Quen took down one of the many demons, he watched a dwarf of the group load up an interesting looking crossbow. "Heads up, Chuckles!" the dwarf shouted, firing a bolt at one of the monsters that was about to attack a bald-headed elven mage.

The elf mage noticed Cassandra, then drew his gaze to Quen. He stabbed the end of his staff into the earth and the last of the oncoming demons' legs were suddenly encased in ice as the soldiers descended upon them. The bald elf ran towards Quen, quickly snatching his left arm.

Quen dropped his daggers as he was forcefully dragged to the rift. "Hurry! Before more come through!" The bald elf shouted, shoving Quen's hand up against the green scar in the air.

The pain was intensified within seconds as the mark on Quen's palm sparked out against the rift. Quen screamed, black and white dots danced around his vision, the swollen nerves flaring up and stretching across his face, his left eye sparking with the pink glow more furiously this time. His entire body felt like it was being burned alive-he immediately blacked out from the pain, unable to take anymore.

A harsh slap to the cheek recalled Quen back to the world of the living quickly. Cassandra was by his side with her palm raised to smack his face once again. Seeing him regain conscious, she sighed with relief, getting back up. "Solas, why did the mark react like that?" She turned to the elven mage.

Solas, the bald-headed elf had his arms crossed. "It appears that his body is unable to handle this strange magic even more than I thought. I do not know why, but something in him is rejecting the magic-thus it is fighting back and attempting to consume him." He knelt by Quen's side. "Are you alright?"

Quen noticed that the rift was no longer there. "What did you do?"

Grimacing, Solas held out his hand to Quen, who took it graciously. "I did nothing. You closed the rift. The credit is yours."

"I did...that?" Quen looked back at where the scar used to be in the air, only a very faint green hue remained where it once was.

"Yes." Solas nodded. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that, though. I wish I could figure out why it is reacting like this to your body-what I have gathered so far is that whatever magic that was used to open the Breach was the same magic that place that mark upon your hand." The mage gestured to Quen's hand, who in turn, held it up for him to examine. A soft glow of soothing healing magic flowed from Solas's palms as he inspected the mark and nerves on Quen's palm. "Strange...even though you are not a mage, such magic as this is having such an aggressive effect on you." Stepping back, he brought his hand to his chin in thought. "We must be careful using it too often then-too much strain could possibly kill you."

"Well that's reassuring." The dwarf called out, adjusting his coat cuffs. "The key to closing the big green thing in the sky is fragile as a skittish nug in a pen with a fennec." Cassandra let out a disgusted noise to the dwarf as he joined the three of them. "Varric Tethras: Rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tagalong, at your service." The dwarf bowed; he had an air about him that made Quen relax and feel comfortable in his presence.

Quen bowed back to the dwarf. "Quen Lavellan."

It felt nice saying his clan's name out loud; it was a warm reminder of the new family he and his sister had received when the two of them joined the clan after the incidents from their former. Ten years before, Quen and his sister had no family name to claim for their own. The two were seen as outcasts by their clan-just like their mother, who lacked Vallaslin-even though their father had been the Keeper's First. Clan Lavellan welcomed the two with open arms, their pasts of no matter to the clan as they helped give the two young elves a sense of identity.

"I see you have already met the Lady Seeker." Varric gestured to Cassandra, who let out another disgusted noise in reply. "And of course there is Solas, whose name the Lady Seeker has probably said enough times to drill it into your head." Solas bowed to Quen. "He is an apostate mage. Not from a circle-or any Dalish clan if you were wondering about the lack of markings on his face."

Solas smiled at the dwarf. "Technically, all mages are apostates now, given the current circumstances." He looked at Quen. "I came here to offer whatever help I can give with the Breach. If it is not closed, we are all doomed-regardless of origin."

Quen agreed with Solas's words. It did not matter who they were originally, at the current state of the world, everyone needed to work together.

Varric chimed in once more. "Chuckles here also had been attempting to keep the mark from killing you while you were asleep."

Chuckling (no wonder the dwarf gave him that nickname), Solas had a sad look in his eyes. "Unfortunately, I was not able to do much. My magic was able to lessen the pains from the mark but it is missing something-something to help stabilize the part of your body that is rejecting it." He looked back at Quen with a solemn face. "Forgive me, I wish I could do more."

Quen knew that dark undertone in those words: the mark was killing him quickly. It would be a miracle if he managed to live by the end of this day-if closing the Breach didn't kill him first. Seeing how his body reacted with such a small rift, Quen dreaded the inevitable task of sealing the big one itself.

But what choice did he have? He thought back to the words his mother whispered to him in the vision.

 _Be strong._

If he did nothing, he would die anyways. If at least trying to close the Breach meant saving the world (who would have thought he would end up in a position like this anyways?), it was the least he could do.

Quen thought of his sister. He couldn't lose her. Not like how they both lost their mother and father.

He thought of his friends who perished in the Conclave. If they had survived-if at least one of them did-and was in his place, what would they have done?

He chuckled inwardly to himself. Was this punishment by the Creators for what he had done many years ago? Was this their way of letting him finally repent for the crimes he committed?

His mind was made up. No matter what happened, he would do what he could. As long as his sister and clan family would be safe.

"It's alright, your attempts to help are much appreciated." Solas beamed in recognition at Quen's praise.

"Enough loitering. We can talk more along the way." Cassandra huffed, stomping ahead of the three men. Varric shrugged and followed.

The first thing Quen encountered at the Forward camp was a very angry man garbed in red-and white Chantry robes, arguing with Leliana over a table with a map. The moment the man saw Quen, he sneered, shaking his fist at the elf. "Lady Seeker! As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I had ordered you to take this damned-knife ear criminal to Val Royeux to face execution! Why have you not done so?!"

Quen was about to retort back to the annoying Shemlen when Cassandra stomped forward, glaring back at the man. "'Order me'? You're a glorified clerk, Roderick! I have brought this man here to deal with the Breach, we have no time for your damned orders!"

The man, Roderick, as Cassandra called him, had his face turn red. "Why you-you're a damned thug! I don't care if you supposedly serve the Chantry, how dare you!"

Cassandra scoffed, crossing her arms. "Leliana and I serve the Most Holy, Chancellor." She added a growl at the end of her words.

"The Divine is dead! Since those who would have best elected to be her replacement are also dead from the Conclave, the authority of dealing with this criminal falls under my jurisdiction!"

Leliana interjected Roderick's rambling. "YOU do not have command here."

Roderick sputtered at the red-head. "Oh I suppose you, Nightingale, do? You, the Lady Seeker, AND Divine Justinia have already caused enough trouble! I will not have any more of it!"

Quen had just about enough with the three bickering in front of him. (Solas and Varric were staying far back from the others, clearly not wanting a part of the argument.) "Enough!" He pushed forward to the center of the three. "This is not the time to argue!" Quen flung his hand to the sky, glaring back at the Grand Chancellor. "There is an obvious giant problem in the sky that is a clear threat to Thedas-and you want to debate about religious politics?!" He slammed his hand on the table, startling everyone. "Everyone's lives are at stake and the first thing that comes to mind to you is whether or not you're the current leader of the damned Chantry and whether or not to execute me?! Will killing me solve the Breach? -NO! Think of your damn priorities!"

Roderick stared at Quen in shock. How dare this knifed-eared elf talk back to him in such a way?

"He is right." Leliana spoke up. "We are here to try and fix the Breach."

Quen thanked Leliana before returning his attention back to Roderick. "You can bicker about my damn fate _after_ this is dealt with. Right now, I am here to offer whatever help I can." Focusing back on Cassandra, he continued. "Now, since we're here, what is your plan to get up there?"

Cassandra had offered two choices to reach the fallen temple where the Breach stood: charge in with the soldiers or take the mountain path while the soldiers distracted the demons down below in the valley. Quen quickly chose the latter after hearing Leliana worriedly mention about not hearing back from her scouts from the mountains. His decision had proved to have been a wise choice. The band of four came across the scouts and rescued them from the demons that had surrounded them from the open rift. The scouts thanked him profusely (after he had blacked out from closing said rift and had to be slapped awake by Cassandra again) before Varric directed them back down the mountain to join the rest of the soldiers at the mountain valley. Solas helped Quen stand upright and lent him an arm for support as they continued to make their way to the temple.

Leliana met up with the group at the temple, the soldiers in tow.

The sight of the destroyed building made Quen's stomach turn in knots. Burnt bodies were strewn across the ground, the sickly smell of seared flesh still present in the air.

They moved forward into the ruins, to the source of the Breach. Quen gasped at the sight of it.

"Now is the hour of our victory." A strange voice spoke out as the group drew closer to the Breach. Solas mentioned something about the Fade showing echoed remnants of the past. As he said this, the rift formed two hazy figures, one who was too clouded in black smoke to make out.

"Bring forth the sacrifice." The clouded figure boomed, the source of the strange voice.

The other figure was an elderly woman garbed in chantry robes; her arms were held in place by wisps of magic as she cried for help. Cassandra gasped at the sight of her. "Most Holy!"

The sound of a door slamming open drew the Divine and the mysterious figure's attention to the side. A transparent figure of a human male ran in with his sword and shield drawn. The man was followed by a Fade remnant of Quen, a female Qunari mage and a female dwarf with a broadsword.

"What's going on here?!" The man, Trevelyan demanded.

Justinia looked at the four. "Run! Warn the others!"

A bright light burst from the memory and the vision was gone. Quen looked back at the Breach dumbfounded.

 _How did he not remember that?_

Cassandra spoke, drawing his attention back. "Most Holy called out to you and your friends." She looked at him. "The look on your face tells me that you do not remember this."

"Nevertheless," Solas stepped forward. "We must close the Breach. It is temporarily closed at the moment." He turned to Quen. "If we are to seal it, we must open it. Doing so though will probably attract the attention of whatever is on the other side."

"And that means demons." Varric sighed, readying his crossbow. "At least Bianca will be happy. Alright Frosty," He gestured to Quen. "Do your magic stuff."

Quen nodded. He then looked at Leliana and Cassandra. "If I don't make it through this, please tell my clan what happened." Leliana solemnly nodded back before turning her attention to ready the soldiers in position. Quen steadied himself at the Breach and lifted his arm.

The Rift convulsed, a beam striking back at the mark. Despite feeling dizzy, Quen forced himself not to black out once again, his legs shaking to keep his body upright.

Once again, he heard a voice coming from the rift, this time the voice of a young girl.

"Eirai, the fissure is opening!"

The Breach exploded, shoving four beams of light out - one of them headed towards Quen and collided with him, knocking him down into the ground, his daggers dropped into the dirt on either side of him. He heard Varric cry out "Frosty!" to him.

Furrowing his brow, he slowly opened his eyes to see who was pressing weight onto him.

It was a girl. With light blue hair, black cat ears, and a tail.

Hearing sounds of groaning, he snapped his head back up. Three other girls were laying in the dirt and rubble. One had light green hair in two messy pigtails with a giant fluffy brown squirrel tail; a giant axe lay beside her. The other had light purple hair put up in a tight bun with giant white rabbit ears; a weapon that resembled a bow, but had no string, was by her side. The final girl was the most bizarre, with red horn-like bat wings contrasting her short silver-white hair. She bore a dark horse-like tail, and two scythe-shaped blades were clutched tightly in each gauntleted hand. A staff lay on the ground in front of Quen-he assumed it belonged to the girl curled up in his lap.

Whimpering, the girl sat upright, her light purple eyes blinking in confusion. She looked Quen over from head to toe, then focused her attention on his left hand.

Looking at the Breach, he saw the glowing figure of the woman in the Fade that he had reached out to earlier. Judging by Cassandra's gasp behind him, he knew he wasn't hallucinating.

The being then vanished. Letting out a breath of disbelief, Quen looked back at the girl. "By the Creators…who are you?" What connection did she and the other three have with the luminescent woman from the Fade?

The cat-eared girl looked back at Quen and spoke with the same voice that called out from the rift before it exploded. "I…" Before she could finish, the Breach shot out more energy (Quen winced as the mark reacted as well-though strangely enough, the pain wasn't so bad this time). A pride demon materialized in the air, landing on the ground with a loud thud, and let out a loud roar before charging at Quen and the girl.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chance Meeting

[More than twenty years ago…]

 _A young elven woman hummed to herself, her hands weaving a small grass basket in her lap as she sat next to the calm river. Her hair was braided over a shoulder, flowers of crystal grace delicately hidden amongst the golden locks. Cyren, her halla, nuzzled her face lovingly as she continued in her melodic tune._

[ _Within a dark and starry night_

 _The moon flower silently floats_

 _Through this world_

 _That shines and sparkles_ ]

 _The song she hummed was a familiar tune to her before she ended up in this new life-but she could not remember its origin, nor who she was before she came to the elven clan._

 _The faint hints when she tried to concentrate on her lost memories showed that she had learned these songs with a group of five other children-but their faces were lost. One of these children had taught them these songs, she remembered. Oh, if only she could recall the words and the faces of her unknown friends! That one child was not like the rest of the others - that was all she knew._

 _The sound of rustling in the brush drew the woman's attention from her work by the riverside, the white deer-like creature raising its head in slight alarm. Out from the bushes, appeared an elven man with a staff in his hand. The markings of the elven god Elgar'nan were upon his face, making half of his face dark by the ink._

 _"Oh Haleir. Aneth ara!" The woman spoke, rising to meet her dear friend and First to their Keeper. The man had always been a good friend to the her, even when much of the clan shunned her for her strange manners and origin._

 _"Lethallin. I've been looking for you. It was not hard, as all I had to do was follow the sound of your voice." Laisa flushed at her friend's words. Haleir raised his hand to pet Cyren's muzzle. The halla then left the two elves to graze on a nearby patch of grass._

 _Haleir shifted nervously, looking at the ground while fussing with his white hair. "The Keeper has been talking with me. He says I am of age to be looking for a wife soon to help uphold the clan's numbers."_

 _Laisa turned her attention from her friend to gather elfroot in her newly woven basket. "And who has caught your fancy then to be your betrothed? You and Lanaya have been close as of late. Even Keeper Zathrian had noted that you two would make a lovely couple." She giggled. She had a slight crush on her friend but she was worried about the fact that the two were so different that she was too embarrassed to open up her feelings to him. If him bonding with the other mage would make him happy-it was good enough for her._

 _"Lanaya... is just a friend to me. The one I wish to bond with...is you." The elven woman froze, quickly turning back to her friend, her eyebrows raised in surprise. Haleir stared at her, his face beet red. In his hand, he held out a round moonstone attached to a necklace cord. "Ar lath ma, ma vhenan."_

 _Lasia stared back in shock for a long, painfully awkward, silent moment. Immediately, Haleir turned to go, shoving the necklace in his side-pouch. "I, ir abelas! I shouldn't have been so forward! Forgive me Lethallin!"_

 _Haleir stopped in his attempts to flee when Laisa's hand gently landed on his arm, holding him in place. Looking back at his friend, he saw her other hand clutched to her chest, a streak shade of dark pink across her face._

 _"Did you...did you really mean it…?" She murmured, her voice becoming choked as tears formed around her eyes. "Are...are you sure…?"_

 _Haleir dropped his staff and grabbed her by both of her shoulders, raising his fingertips to brush away her tears. "Laisa! What's wrong? Did I-"_

 _"No. It's not you. It's me." Laisa interjected. She turned her head away from his gaze, the basket forgotten besides them. "I just...I'm an outcast to most of the clan. I don't even have Vallaslin-you would be better off with a Dalish elf, someone of your kin: a TRUE Dalish-not someone like me! I-" She stiffened as Haleir embraced her._

 _"I don't care. I've always loved you, Laisa. Vallaslin or no Vallaslin, you have always been a wonderful person to me."_

 _"B,but what about the Keeper? Does he not object?" Tears continued to fall from her face._

 _Haleir chuckled. "Zathrian and I may have...argued a for a little bit before I came here...let's just say that one of the aravals needs mending thanks to the scorch marks." Seeing Laisa join in his laughter made his eyes brighten. "He eventually conceded in the end." Holding her back at arm's length, he wiped more of her tears away._

 _The elven woman smiled gently through the water in her eyes as she looked back at her friend. "Yes. That is my answer."_

 _Haleir took the moonstone necklace out from his pouch and placed it in Laisa's open palm, leaving his hand there. The two gazed at one another, holding each other's hand._

 _A gust of wind blew through the tree's leaves; Cyren continued to graze on their patch of grass while the elves drew together in a kiss._

* * *

[Present time...]

The Pride demon charged at Quen and the girl in his lap. On instinct, Quen held the mysterious girl close, in hopes to shield her from the impact.

The white-haired girl snapped her head up, leaping to her feet. Swiftly, she was beside Quen, pulling him and the other girl out of the path of the Pride demon, a black mist trailing after the three of them.

Quen's body was filled with a sudden unnerving chill as the girl's clawed gauntlets gripped him tightly on the arm. "Erune. You alright?" The white-haired girl asked under her steel mask as they landed safely away. While she had grabbed Quen, she had managed to pick up the staff on the ground along the way.

The blue-haired girl looked back at the older girl, nodding while taking the staff in her hands and got up off of Quen. When the older girl released her hold on Quen, the fearful chill slowly left his body.

The Breach pulsated again, shooting out more green beams. From the lights, a flood of spiny, clawed shapes that Quen recognized as Fade demons flowed into the crater of the temple. A nearby growl told the others that the Pride demon had gotten back up and was already aiming for the soldiers, who, upon Cassandra and Leliana's cries, began to fight back.

"Erune! Zyllian!" The rabbit-eared girl ran over to the two, followed by the squirrel girl holding her giant axe (Creators, that axe looked heavy, how was that small girl able to carry such a weapon so easily?).

"I'm okay." The blue haired girl (Erune was it?) reassured the other girls.

Suddenly, the rabbit haired girl whipped her arm over her shoulder as if she was reaching for an arrow in a quiver. A swirl of light traced up her arm, forming a long projectile. She quickly lifted her bow up, more light circling around her arm as she drew it back. A flight of magic arrows fired forth, hitting a Lesser demon that was aimed at Cassandra, the arrows vanishing shortly after impact to expose gaping wounds. Cassandra was stunned by the girl's strange weapon, but nodded before going back to fighting.

Quen stared back, shocked at the sight of the girls, whose ears and tails twitched authentically.

Solas ran up to Quen, helping him to his feet, handing him his daggers. "We must clear the demons out of this place to seal the Breach!"

"Oi sis," Quen and Solas looked at the squirrel girl, a wide, toothy grin spread across her face. "Should we help these peeps out?"

"Of course." The rabbit girl said. "Zyllian, you handle the creatures that are continuing to come forth, draw their attention from the rest of us." Upon her orders, the demonic-looking girl with the steel mask nodded, diving away into the fray with her scythes trailing behind her. The rabbit eared girl turned to the squirrel girl with axe, pointing at the Pride demon. "Eruno, you handle the big one, keep it distracted."

"Right!" The fluffy squirrel tail flicked in delight as the girl ran towards the Pride demon that had cornered one of the archer soldiers. As she dragged her axe behind her, faint streams of redness began to cover its surface at a rapid rate. "OI BIG GUY!" The Pride demon turned. "TAKE THIS!" Grounding her heel in the dirt, she swung her axe, the heavy blade slamming into its body. The Pride demon's clawed hands grabbed in surprise at the thing that managed to pierce its thick hide. "Tch!" She spat, annoyed.

"Erune." Eirai summoned more magic light around her arms and her weapon. "I'm going to need a mana boost, cover me." The energy flowed and scattered about her hands as she wove an unfamiliar pattern in the air. Nodding, Erune held her staff out, a glyph appearing under the rabbit girl's feet. As a group of Wraiths snaked their way towards the two girls, she quickly flicked her wrist out at each of the wisps, bolts of light knocking each of them back, a few more scorch marks to their name.

The demonic-girl, Zyllian, leapt into the middle of a group of Rage demons, the purple smoke left as remnants from where she was before. The beady eyes of the bubbling, molten figures snapped to the girl.

Her scythes whipped out, slicing limbs clean off. Evading another blow, she swung her arms, the blades flying out until the limit of their chain. As she spun her body around, the blades danced around her. Quickly retracting the blades now covered in darkened blood, she flipped backwards in a purple smoke out of the way of a Rage demon's fire strike.

The cat girl almost felt the Despair demon behind her as her attention was distracted. Quen ran towards her, thrusting his daggers in the cloaked monster's back. Erune turned just in time to let out a little squeak when she realized the gravity of the situation. Her eyes widened suddenly. "Look out!"

Quen hissed as a Terror demon took a deep swipe at him from the side, leaving a deep gash on his stomach. He fell back, clutching his side while Varric fired a couple bolts from afar to take out the demon. Drawing his hand away slightly, he could see hints of his sliced intestines through the open wound. He grit his teeth as sharp pain sizzled from the acid from the Terror demon's claws.

"Shit. Frosty!" Varric ran to Quen. The dwarf reached back for a potion.

"Wait!" Varric paused as the cat girl rushed over, her staff still outstretched to keep channeling the glyph under the rabbit girl's feet. Summoning a light blue aura with her free hand, she focused the magic on Quen's wound, her eyes closed in concentration.

Quen felt himself slipping away from reality as the blood flowed out of his body - then he didn't feel anything but the reassuring presence of the cat girl and her aura. The fading of the aura left him energized; he glanced at his side to confirm that he was whole once again. "Thanks." Quen gasped in relief. Readying his crossbow, Varric went back to the fight as soon as he saw Quen fit enough to stand on his own.

By now, the horde of demons had been reduced by half. Leliana helped guide the injured soldiers back from the monsters' continuing onslaught. Once again, the Breach convulsed, summoning a second Pride demon amidst a group of warriors. The beast let out a haunting laugh, sparks of purple energy erupting from its body, burning the soldiers that were too close to it.

The rabbit girl swore between her teeth as she noticed the newest challenger to the fight. "ERUNO!" She aimed her bow at the squirrel girl, who stood in front of the first large monster. The glyphs around her feet began to flicker as her drawstring arm glowed rapidly.

Eruno wheeled aside, the tips of her hair slightly singed as the projectile flew Pride demon was struck, its massive body staggering. The arrow rapidly pulsed, exploding seconds later, black blood spraying around. Soon after, the creature fell over, its hulking body shattering into green dust when its hide connected with the rubble.

The cat girl began to sway, a bead of sweat rolling down her brow. Quen caught her just in time as she fell; the rabbit girl ran to the two of them. "Erune, what's wrong?"

Erune panted. "My magic...isn't as strong here...I needed to use more mana...I'm almost depleted…I'm sorry Eirai..."

Eirai shook her head. "It's okay. Just stay back then. I'll take care of you." Quen handed the younger of the two to the older one. The rabbit girl readied her weapon and fired a few shots at the demons that were aiming for the other soldiers. The cat girl stayed a close distance to her, keeping a watchful eye on the battle. Once Quen saw that the two were fine, he went back to help the others fighting.

The second Pride demon roared, its massive body swaying side to side. It immediately went straight for Cassandra. She was forced backward as the creature collided with her shield, her stance wavering at the onslaught.

Letting out a battle cry, Eruno leapt in the air, swinging the axe down on the Pride demon's shoulder. The beast howled, thrashing around in anger. It flung the squirrel girl aside before turning its attention to Eruno, preparing to pummel its hulking body into the small girl.

Her tail flicking in annoyance, Eruno slammed her axe head first into the ground. A translucent barrier surrounded the front of her. As the demon's body ricocheted off the shield, Cassandra saw this as an opening and thrust her blade in the demon's back hide.

Solas shot a blast of ice magic, creating a wall of icicle stalagmites that slowed the approach of the fiery Rage demons. With a swing of his staff, the rubble behind him was flung towards a Despair demon, knocking it to the ground. Zyllian threw out her sickle to the monster on the ground, using the chain to pull herself to it to finish it off.

The Pride demon countered, bashing its armored arm into Cassandra's shield, causing her to fall to her knees from the surprise attack. As it lifted its massive claws to swipe down at the woman, Eruno jumped in between the two of them, setting up another barrier with her axe once again, protecting the lady Seeker.

Varric released a series of arrows at the Pride demon to draw its attention away from Eruno while the scythe wielding girl rushed forward, whipping the chains of her blades around the enemy, immobilizing the large creature.

"Now!" Cassandra shouted to Quen. The elf jumped on the Pride demon's back. Raising his daggers above his head, he slammed the short blades between the plating of the hide on the its neck. Quen slipped off just in time as the massive monster fell face first into the ground before dispersing into green mist which was sucked back into the rift.

Panting, he took a moment to assess his surroundings. The soldiers had taken out the rest of the stragglers. The four strange looking girls had grouped back together and were looking at him and his hand as they whispered amongst themselves.

Solas was by the Quen's side soon after. "We must close it now." The mage gestured to the glowing mark. Nodding, Quen raised his arm to the Breach, concentrating with the mark. The scar on his hand immediately reacted, shooting out a green bolt at the Rift.

Unlike the previous times Quen had closed the smaller rifts on his way up the mountain, the pain that came with this one was ten times worse. His throat burned as he tried to scream, green bolts of electricity visibly spasming across his body. He felt as though his whole body was being turned inside out and set aflame. The veins and nerves bulged up under his skin, threatening to burst through. The constant shocks through his body caused his heart to pound against his chest at a rapid rate. His eyes stung as tears fell down his cheeks from the intense pain.

 _This is it._ He thought. _This is how I'm going to die._

Suddenly, he felt a pair of small hands cover his own with the pulsing mark. The aching pain began to subside.

* * *

[Minutes ago…]

"Sis, you think that elf is the one whom the 'God' was talking about?" Eruno wiped a smudge of soot from her cheek.

"The glowing scar on his hand is similar to the rift in the sky." Eirai noted. "And the other elf referred to him to 'close the Breach'. The white haired elf is probably the one we are looking for."

"Can he close the rifts is the question…" Zyllian muttered with a hint of a scoff in her voice.

The four Elins watched as the elf lift his glowing arm toward the Breach. The rift countered, forcing the elf to his knees and cry out in pain. Green sparks surrounded him, causing the bald elf to move back in alarm.

"It's hurting him…" Erune whispered. She watched as the black haired woman and the stocky short man looked at one another, unsure what to do. The bald elf tried to get close but the constant electricity formed a barricade around the white haired elf, blocking his approach. The Priestess's heart clenched as the pained screams echoed through the crater of the burnt ruins.

It pained the young Elin to see those distress. Her healing magic tickled on her fingertips in hopes to reach and try to at least ease the hurt the elf was going through.

Her body was already exhausted of using up most of her mana, but she felt a need to try and help.

She couldn't lose another one. She had lost too many people when she was right there.

A woman's voice suddenly spoke out to her.

 _Please. Help him._

"Erune?" The Priestess's twin sister looked at her curiously. Erune's eyes glazed over as if they were in a trance. She dropped her staff and ran towards the elf encased in the barrier of green electricity. She ignored her sisters yelling out her name as she moved her feet as quickly as she could.

The moment her hand touched the barrier, the shocks around the elf carried over to her. The fur of her cat ears and tail puffed out in alarm from the sparks. The Elin wanted to draw back as her cat ears flattened against her head, but the woman's voice urged her onward.

 _Please._

Pushing her small body through the immense power, she made her way to the elf. Gathering up what little magic she had left in her hands, she placed them on the elf's left hand that was blazing with green light and let her magic flow freely to heal him.

* * *

Everyone stood in amazement as one of the strange girls managed to break through the barrier made by the rift that surrounded Quen. She had struggled against the magic from the Fade but was able to touch the elf's hand with the mark. As soon as a soft blue light surrounded their hands with a soothing hum, the green sparks began to cease.

The mark on Quen's hand shot out once again at the Breach, this time fighting back as the Fade rift tried to counter. The Breach spasmed from the energy, the edges of the large green scar quivering as it folded in on itself. The crystals drew back into the Fade. As soon as the scar shrunk to a thin line, it let out one final blast of energy, knocking everyone surrounding it to their knees.

Quen and the girl gasped in shock as the pulse from the Breach pulled back, the two blacking out and collapsing onto the ground with the girl's hands still on the elf's.

The Rift was quiet, but the scar still remained in the sky, the presence of green mist faintly radiating from the line in the air.

Cassandra ran to the two and knelt down a let out a sigh of relief when she saw Quen was still breathing. Her head turned as she heard the other three mysterious girls run over to tend to the fourth one at the elf's side.

Drawing her blade, she pointed it at the girls. "Who and what are you?" She demanded.

The rabbit girl had pulled the cat girl close to her and narrowed her eyes at Cassandra's blade. As she spoke, her voice held an air of a military commander-like the Lady Seeker herself.

"We are Elins. We are from the world Arborea. Your Breach and Rifts have made their way into our world and we were sent to help close them here."

Cassandra's eyes widened with rest of the soldiers in the crater. Many voices arose as the men began talking amongst themselves while staring at the girls-no, Elins. Leliana quirked her eyebrow, still holding her bow hesitantly in her hands. Varric murmured something about what a twist this whole set of circumstances was while Solas seemed to be in deep thought with himself.

"Cassandra?" Leliana's voice broke the woman's daze of taking in this immense information. "What should do you suggest what we do with them?"

Cassandra sheathed her sword, keeping her eye on the 'Elins'. "Arrest them." Nodding, the Nightingale and the rest of her men locked their arrows on the four. The Elin with the squirrel tail began to protest when the white haired demonic one put her hand on the other's shoulder and told her to stand down. "Take them back to Haven. We'll decide what to do with them once he wakes up." She gestured to Quen's unconscious body and called for her soldiers to pick up the elf.

As the Elins were ushered away, the Seeker looked back to Solas who was looking at the Breach. "Solas?" She called out to the mage.

"The Breach has been sealed, but not closed. We must inform Quen when he awakes."

Cassandra swore under her breath. She had hoped that Quen's mark would be able to fix the issue immediately, but he had only managed to stop the chaos temporarily-with the help of the Elin girl. "What do you make of the events that had just occurred here?"

Solas brought his hand to his chin in thought. "The Breach connecting to other worlds...how is that possible…? Already the fact that Rifts to the Fade have opened up extensively-but bridging elsewhere…?" Shaking his head, he turned to the Seeker. "I will need to ask those 'Elins' what more they know of. Whatever the case, they seem to have come here willingly and helped us in the fight."

Varric spoke up. "Which leads to my question: Why did you detain them Lady Seeker?"

The Seeker looked away from the mage and the dwarf. "We do not know who they are and it is best that we keep an eye on them until they can give us answers."

The dwarf shrugged. "Alright then, Seeker. But they didn't seem to want to hurt us. They even saved Frosty."

"Nevertheless, we must take precautions." Leliana reminded the others. Leaning in close to Cassandra, the Nightingale whispered to the Seeker. "I'll inform Commander Cullen of the news."

"The Chantry is a mess right now, Thedas is in chaos, and now, this?" Cassandra murmured under her breath. "Most Holy had confided to me of another solution if the Conclave failed. We must look into it. If we are to stem the tide of any more oncoming conflict, we must establish order."

* * *

The door slammed open, barely startling the soulless slaves who continued in their tasks. Two figures stormed through, a tall mage covered in diseased flesh with red crystals protruding from parts of his body. He was followed by a large horned man with grey skin and large pointed ears. The horned man's armor had veins filled with dust of the same red rock that covered the other man. In his hand, he carried a large staff embedded with the crimson crystals.

The magister threw down a large round orb on the work table, scattering aside bloodied tools and such. "That DAMN elf!" He swore aloud.

Frowning, the horned man began to speak. "Elder One-"

"SILENCE!" The magister interjected, his mouth curled into a snarl. "You let that elf get in with the others!" His massive clawed hands gripped the orb. "I expected better from you…"

The horned man's yellowed eyes narrowed in disgust. So what if the man before was one of the ones whom his ancestors told of. He would not be treated in such a way by some ancient being. He had earned his right to his place in power and would not be treated like a mere apprentice. "Merely an uncalculated part-the elf that is." The horned man spat. With a flick of his wrist, one of the slaves with glassysoulless eyes brought him a cup of wine. As he took a long drink, he looked back at the other man. "Well, now what will you do?"

The orb on the table barely flickered in the magister's hands. "The orb's power is gone...we must wait and see what happens...and should we find a moment of opportunity...we will take it. For now…" The man looked back at the horned being. "How goes the Venatori in Tevinter?"

The horned man smiled his sharp teeth back. "Your blood mages certainly have a talent - I'll give them that. One of them, Gereon Alexius, shows great promise in some plans for a device he had been working on before he joined us. Perhaps you would be interested? I heard he wishes to play with time, something about saving a son of his…"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Questions

"This is so much BULLSHIT!" Eruno yelled in frustration. She punched the stone wall of the cell, the guards stationed outside the bars fidgeted.

"Eruno. Behave." Eirai warned her younger sister sternly.

Eruno huffed, dropping down to the floor on her blanket in a cross-legged position with her arms crossed in annoyance.

Zyllian sat with her back against the wall, her steel mask taken away. She wrapped the flimsy blanket around her neck to cover the lower half of her face. Tucking her knees under her arms, her thin-leather gloved hands curled into fists. The Reaper felt exposed without her scythes and armor but she did not put up a fuss like her younger sibling. She refused to show any weakness.

Eirai was beside Erune's sleeping form on the straw cot. The eldest sister continued to stroke the young Elin's hair as she slept. "We must be patient. Remember, we are foreigners in another world-it is best that we avoid instigating any kind of conflict."

The squirrel Elin let out a noise of frustration and fell flat on her back, her bushy tail knocking around the dust. After a few minutes passed, she tucked her head back up. "By the way, what happened to lil' sis? She ok?"

"She's fine. She just used up all her mana that her body could hold." The Reaper's sudden voice startled the guards for a moment as they had barely heard the third Elin speak before. "She's recharging it through the Dream."

"But doesn't she usually just need quick nap, or a good night's sleep? She's been out of it since she helped the elf-guy deal with the Breach."

"It's because we're in a different world, and the only thing that links ours to this one is the Fade rift. It takes more effort to be able to reach the Dream from here. Hence why she's taking so long." Zyllian murmured. "I can feel her presence there and her body still needs time to regain her mana."

"Because we are so far away from our world, we must be careful in using our willpower sparingly." Eirai spoke. Zyllian nodded in acknowledgement. The four would have to rely more on their physical strength.

The three heard the sound of the main door of the cellar opening. They watched the guards salute as the two women from earlier come in, followed by a man with curly blonde hair and a thick fur coat over part his armor and the bald elf with the short, stocky man.

Leaping to her feet, Eruno grabbed at the bars and scowled at the one the redhead had referred to as Cassandra before the Elins had been detained. "So what's the big idea?! We've been waiting here for a day now!"

Cassandra glared. "I would hold my tongue if I were you."

"Oh yeah?!" Eruno pointed back. "You better have some explanation as to WHY you arrested us-especially AFTER I saved your ass back there!" Sneering, she continued. "You should be fucking grateful that my sisters and I came to help!"

Eirai rose and put her hand on her second youngest sister's shoulder, telling her to back off.

The curly-blonde haired man looked at the four Elins. "So, these are the mysterious girls that claimed they are from another world?"

"As we told you Curly," The short man spoke. "Popped out of the Breach."

'Curly' moved closer to the cell, taking a closer look at their animal features. "Such strange ears and horns...are they demons?" Eruno snorted.

"I had never seen a demon take on such a strange form before, and I do not sense any Fade magic from them" The bald elf answered. "My wards in this room would entrap them anyways if they did try anything." He thought aloud.

Eruno swerved on her feet with her arms crossed. "It'd be appreciated if all of you would just talk to us instead of discussing amongst yourselves about us as if we weren't here. We aren't animals. And of course you wouldn't sense 'Fade' magic because our Willpower and magic is different from yours."

"What do you mean?" The elf blinked in curiosity.

Eruno grinned. "You down wards right?" She gestured her head to the side. "They don't seem to be working - my sisters can still access the Dream and we can still do this:" A spark of red spiraling energy flickered around her index finger.

"What?!" Cassandra, the blonde-haired man, and the guards immediately grabbed their swords. The elf and shorter man staggered back in shock. "How are you able to still cast magic?! What kind of mages are you?"

Eruno rolled her eyes. "We're not mages. At least, the three of us." She jerked her thumb at Erune. "Lil'sis is a Priestess so she is able to use magic in greater amounts-at least, healing and holy type."

"A mage is a mage, even if they are a healer, they can still be a threat-such as you."

Eruno's tail flicked in annoyance as she glared back. "I told you, we're NOT mages."

"Eruno." Eirai hissed. She looked at the others outside the cell. "My apologies of my younger sister's behavior. She is still young and brash at times."

"Are you the leader?" The hooded woman asked.

"In a sense, yes. I am the eldest of my sisters." She crossed her arms. "Your apprehensiveness is understandable and it is probably best that we explain our part and hear your side of the story as well."

"Very well." The woman nodded in acknowledgement. "Perhaps you should start first."

"As I had said before, we are Elins from the world Arborea…"

* * *

 _Keeper Zathrian's voice could be heard from outside the araval. Quen slowly sat up, trying to avoid reopening the wounds under the various bandages. His little sister, Riella, snuggled deeper in the blanket made of druffalo hide._

 _The young elven boy pushed aside the flap of the tent and looked over at his Keeper. Before the Keeper stood a large group of people. Eight of them said they were Grey Wardens._

 _As he surveyed each of them, faint remembrance of their names came back to him._

 _Alistair...the awkward Shem who let the noblewoman, Ilena, do the talking._

 _Griff and Ren...two mages from the circle, both looked around curiously as they had never been in a forest before. Besides the Shemlan and elf was another mage, but she did not wear circle robes. The woman called Morrigan scowled to herself._

 _The casteless dwarf, Denev, stood close by a young red-headed Shem. The female Shemlan looked familiar to him. A sense of realization came to Quen as he remembered the woman's name: [Leliana...]_

 _Another dwarf was farther away from the group. Brandil, he was called. He held an air full of pride and arrogance. His arms were crossed in an impatient way._

 _The other two elves, cousins he remembered, one Dalish like his clan and the other born from the city. Lance, the city-born, noticed Quen looking his way and waved back. His Dalish-clan-born cousin, Verandra, with her vallaslin markings of Sylaise upon her face, stared back at the young elf._

The sound of a door opening roused Quen from his dream. As he sat upright, he heard a squeak of surprise-followed by a box crashing to the floor. Looking over from the bed he was on, he saw an elven girl with her eyes widened.

"I, I didn't know you were awake! I swear!" She stammered.

He cocked his head curiously and opened his mouth to speak. "It's fine. I-" The elf girl collapsed to her knees into a groveling position. Quen was taken aback.

"I beg for your forgiveness and blessing. I am but a humble servant." Quen was definitely awake at this point, getting out of bed quickly as the other elf continued. "You are in Haven my Lord. As well as the strange four girls."

"Hold on," The elven girl flinched. "Why are you calling me "Lord"? And what about those four girls?"

She looked back at Quen. "They say you saved us. The Breach stopped growing. Just like the Mark on your hand."

Quen lifted the sleeve of his clothes to look at his arm. The green scar on his palm had quieted down, still slightly throbbing and shining but to a much lesser extent from before. His nerves and veins no longer bulged under the skin; the spider-like markings were gone.

"One of the girls, the blue-haired one, helped you " The elven girl spoke. "The two of you have been out of it this entire time. The people of Haven have been talking about you two for the past three days."

' _She...helped me…?_ ' Quen thought to himself. "But what about my trial? And who are those girls?"

"I…it is not my place..." The elf girl hesitated, wringing her hands together. "Lady Cassandra would want to know that you've wakened. She said 'At once'."

"Where do I find her?" Quen shuffled around the room to find his belongings. His armor and boots were on the dresser beside the bed, alongside with his knapsack. He checked to make sure all of his things were there, especially the small object wrapped up in cloth at the bottom of the bag.

The other elf quickly gathered the contents from the crate she had dropped earlier. "At the Chantry," She stood up, cradling the crate close. "With the Lord Chancellor. 'At once', she said." Immediately, the elven girl shoved open the cabin door and was gone.

Quen continued to stand there for a moment, taking it all in with a deep breath.

He was alive. Alive.

The Breach had been stopped - and he survived it.

Whispering a silent prayer to the Creators, he sat down on the bed to put on his boots.

* * *

Somewhere around the same time Quen had awoken, Erune's eyes fluttered open. Zyllian noticed and went by her younger sister's side, stroking her hair. Erune purred, her cat ears twitching underneath Zyllian's fingertips.

"Zyllian…" She smiled gently at her older sister. It was rare for Zyllian to show such affection to her sisters, so Erune never took these moments for granted.

Zyllian retracted her hand, standing up. There were a few guards stationed at the stairs that lead into the room of prison cells. Although the four were no longer locked inside one of the cells and given free roam of the room itself, the guards still kept a close eye on them. Eruno was doing handstands and push-ups while Eirai meditated in the corner of the room.

Erune then perked her head up. "The elven boy...is he alright?" Zyllian paused at the unlocked cell door.

"He's been out of it, just as you have. But he's fine." One of the guards had left to inform the others about the fourth Elin finally being awake.

' _Oh...thank goodness…_ ' Erune sighed with relief, clutching the blanket close to her chest. As she rose from the straw bed, Eirai got up to fill her little sister in on the events and details of what had happened while she was asleep.

* * *

On his way to Haven's Chantry, Quen was surprised to see the people saluting at his presence, considering the fact that they had given him looks of disdain three days ago.

Glancing back at the sky, he could see the Breach was still there, the clouds that swirled around it still glowing green.

As he stepped into the Chantry, Quen could hear the voices of Roderick arguing with Cassandra and Leliana. The guard stationed by the door, knocked and opened it to let Quen in.

The Grand Chancellor had both his hands on the wooden table, his face in what Quen assumed was a permanent scowl at this point. Leliana and Cassandra were on the other side of the table, Cassandra holding a thick book in her arms.

The moment Roderick saw Quen, the man attempted to instruct the guards to take Quen away in chains for trial, though Cassandra immediately then told the guards to disregard such actions and to fetch the others. Nodding, the guards closed the door behind them, a heavy air of silence followed soon after for a few moments.

Roderick glared back at Cassandra. "You walk a dangerous line, Seeker." He spat.

"The Breach is stable, but it is still a threat. I will not ignore it." Cassandra huffed.

Quen swore under his breath. He had hoped to close the rip in the sky but it looked like whatever he did was not enough. It had already taken a lot out of him to stop the Breach from growing and he did not do it alone. "I did what I could to close the Breach and it almost killed me." He said.

"Yet you live." Roderick grumbled. "A convenient result."

"You were not there, Chancellor." Leliana stepped in. "He was doing everything he could and the Breach was going to kill him before he could try and close it. If it were not for the aid of that 'Elin', he may have been dead. And then we would have had nothing left to close the Breach."

"Elin?" Quen asked.

"The four girls who appeared from the Breach rift. Their kind are called Elins." Cassandra said. Someone then knocked on the door and she told them to enter.

The four Elins came the room. The blue-haired cat girl smiled an air of relief when her eyes made contact with Quen's, her hands clasped together in delight. It was still bizarre for Quen to see the girls with animal ears and tails that actually moved. Roderick wrinkled his nose in disgust at the sight of the four.

The rabbit Elin stepped forward to Quen, her right hand in a fist above her breast. "Greetings. We are the Fae sisters. I am Eirai Fae and this is my twin sister, Zyllian Fae." She gestured at the white-haired Elin with the demonic horns. Zyllian watched Quen closely with sharp eyes.

The squirrel Elin grinned, jerking her thumb at herself. "I'm their younger sister, Eruno Fae! And this is my twin sister…" She put her arm around the cat Elin who fidgeted nervously.

"Erune. Erune Fae." She spoke with a quiet voice. "Thank the Gods that you are alright."

"These four are from another world called Arborea," Leliana said. "It appears that the Breach and Rifts have appeared in their world-acting as a link between ours. They have been sent by their head organization, The Federation, in means of finding a way to aide in closing the Rifts."

"A likely story." Roderick interjected. "How do you not know if they are demons? Especially _that one_!" He pointed at Zyllian specifically. Zyllian ignored his accusations.

"We are actually the opposite of demons." Eirai stated. "Our kind are originally Spirits of Nature given a physical form. Why we have animal features reflects nature itself."

Such information was quite a surprise for Quen. How this 'Elin' said such things nonchalantly, as if she was used to explaining this. Perhaps what she said was true? Already their appearances were proof enough that they were odd. Such ideas of other worlds and species were never thought up so casually.

"Spirits? Hah! You may call yourselves that but we all know you can easily become demons."

Eruno stormed into Roderick's personal bubble, the small Elin glaring up at the man as if he was little of a threat to her. "For YOUR world probably. Have you NOT been listening? Are your ears old? We're from a different world so things work differently there."

Roderick started back, raising his finger as if to scold an adolescent. "Listen, child-!" Eruno batted his hand away.

"I'm 36 years old, you Senile Old Geezer!"

Roderick was taken aback, both by the insult and the Elin's age. "W, what?! But you look just like a child!" The others, sans the Elins, raised their eyes in surprise.

Eirai sighed with annoyance while Zyllian grabbed Eruno by the shoulder and tugged her back. "That is another thing about our kind," Eirai continued from before. "Our bodies do not physically age."

Throwing his hands in the air, Roderick sputtered. "Well, even if they aren't demons from our world-who's not to say they aren't here to attack us?"

"Because, Chancellor," Cassandra hissed. "They surrendered to us willingly when we first arrested them. Their reason being here also leads to our other pressing issue. The Breach is not the only threat we face."

"Someone was behind the explosion at the Conclave. Someone Most Holy did not expect." Leliana stated.

"Whoever it was, they are probably also the cause of the Rifts being formed." Eirai added.

Leliana nodded at the Elin. "Indeed. We both have the same agenda as to finding out who. They may have died with the others at the Conclave-or have allies who yet live." With her last words, she glared at the Grand Chancellor.

Roderick flinched. " _I_ am a suspect?"

"You. And many others."

"But _NOT_ the prisoner. Nor these things." He pointed at both Quen and the Fae sisters. Eruno stuck her tongue out at him.

"The Divine called to him for help at the Temple. And then there is the woman we all saw who was also there when the Elins appeared." Cassandra said.

"So, his survival from the Temple's destruction, that _THING_ on his hand, those girls-All a coincidence?" Roderick continued to question.

"Providence." Cassandra walked around the table to look at Quen in the eyes. "The Maker sent him to us in our darkest hour. And he aided the Elins' journey to our world to help Quen."

Eirai raised a brow in curiosity while Eruno snickered to herself. "Heh, are we considered 'Saviors' for a Chosen One now?" She giggled, nudging Erune.

Quen immediately decided to interject. "But I am not a Chosen One! Wouldn't it also be considered blasphemy, considering I believe in the elven Creators while you are hailing me as a Chosen for the Chantry?"

Cassandra looked at him sympathetically. "Even so, no one can deny what they saw when you first appeared after the explosion AND after the Elins arrived. The woman from the Rift...everyone has been saying she could only have been Andraste herself."

Andraste, a historic figure to the Chantry. Later considered the Bride of the Maker who fought the Tevinter Imperium for the freedom of slaves.

"Nevertheless," Leliana said. "The Breach remains, and your Mark is still our only hope of closing it."

"This is _not_ for you to decide." Roderick protested.

Cassandra then slammed the thick book she had held in her hands on the table. The metal cover of the book had the insignia of an eye inside a sun. As she placed her hand on it, she looked at Roderick. "You know what _this_ is, Chancellor." Straightening her back, she carefully looked around the room. "A writ from The Divine, granting us the authority to act.

As of this moment, I hereby declare the Inquisition to be reborn."

She then moved towards Roderick. The man stepped backwards, intimidated by the woman's looming presence. "We _will_ close the Breach. We _will_ find those responsible. And we _will_ restore order. With or _without_ your approval."

Roderick glared back at the Seeker. He then shook his head in disbelief before storming out of the room. The door slammed behind him, the wooden frame shuddering. "So… Inquisition?" Eruno piped up, grimacing. "What's all that?"

Leliana smiled at the young Elin before looking back at the book. "An old Chantry Order from long ago. This was the Divine's Directive should the Conclave fail: Rebuild the Inquisition of old. Find those who will stand against the chaos." Her smile then fell. "We aren't ready, though. We have no leader, no numbers, and now no Chantry support."

"But we have no choice: We must act now." Cassandra then looked at Quen. "With you at our side." She then nodded to the Fae sisters. "And the Fae Sisters if you wish."

"Why do you need my permission for them to join you?" Quen asked, finally having a moment to speak.

"Because," Leliana replied. "These girls have an interest in you particularly."

"You can close the Rifts." Eirai pointed out. "And that is very important for our own mission. It is necessary to work together. However, it is best to have your permission since you are the one we were looking for."

"In the end, it is up to you." The women in the room all looked at Quen . The elf suddenly felt slightly uncomfortable being put at the center of attention. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he thought it all over.

Once again, he was put on the spot - at least the world wasn't ending this time. He had made his choice before he went to the Breach. He wanted to help the people. And seeing as he was the only solution, he had agreed. He had made his choice before and it was his decision even now.

He looked back at the others, more confident now. "If your Inquisition's goal is to try and restore order from all of this chaos…" Cassandra smiled and held out her hand to him. Quen took it, shaking in agreement. "Then I'll do whatever I can." As the two withdrew, he turned to Eirai, holding his hand out to the Elin. "And I would be grateful to have you and your sisters alongside me."

Eirai shook his hand. "It'll be a great pleasure to work with you." She smiled

* * *

"Sis, why didn't you mention anything about the God who helped us?" Eruno whispered to Eirai as the four settled into the cabin that was provided to them. The previous occupant of the place was one of the unfortunate victims from the destruction of the Conclave. She hadn't wanted to discuss it in the open environment of the Chantry cells.

"Remember what the 'God' told us?" Zyllian said. "She wanted to stay out of the people's affairs. Besides, these people take to their Gods on another level. They do not appear to them unless it's seen as a divine intervention. Such as with Quen." She set her small pack on the table in the room. "The people seem to think the glowing being who helped him-and us is their Prophet, Andraste, and being in her presence has 'blessed' us. It is better to play along with such notions for the time being since we don't really know who that spirit really was." As soon as she found her mask amongst her belongings, she put it on her face.

"Poor Quen though…" Erune murmured. "It must be strange for him to be hailed as the Herald for a religion he does not practice."

"Even so, we cannot do anything about it. We are foreigners." Eirai sighed. "We are here to help Quen and find out who is behind all of this. Once it is over, we can return home."

"How exactly?" Eruno asked, sitting down on the bed, her tail swishing around. "How are we going back?"

"Princess Rida told me that the God who helped us get here would come to us when it is time. Be it in secret or out in the open, we will see." Eirai said as she undid the bun in her hair, allowing her long magenta braid fall to her waist. "For now, we must wait and see how this 'Inquisition' turns out."

* * *

Later that night, most of Haven had gone to sleep, few still up doing preparations in forming the Inquisition. Varric sat outside his tent by a campfire.

The merchant dwarf was in the midst of recording the recent events that had occurred in his journal. If he planned to make a novel out of it like the one about his friend Hawke, he doubted it would even be considered a historic novel based on its content.

Sure, the Champion of Kirkwall book had some exaggerated passages but they were meant to play up the heroics of his companions (and himself of course). But giant holes in the sky which connected to the Fade and four girls who came from another world? Varric mentally shook his head in frustration. This shit was just too weird.

"May I join you?" Varric looked up from the embers of the fire at the rabbit Elin named Eirai, who approached, carrying her bag. He nodded and watched as she dusted away some fresh snow on one of the logs and settled down on the hard bark. Eirai took a notebook with ripped pages out from the bag; alongside with a quill and ink bottle. The final item she withdrew was a short stone cylinder that was made up of a series of discs stacked together. Alongside each disc had segments that had markings unrecognizable to Varric. Opening the notebook, she began to write by the firelight, lifting up her head now and then to examine the Breach in the sky on the mountain.

"So…" Varric began, the Elin pausing in her writing. "What brings you out here instead of being with your siblings?"

The Elin looked at the dwarf. "I did not want to disturb them as they rested. As for what I am doing, I am writing a report for my superiors from my world. We do not know if letters can be sent back and forth so far, but I hope it will be successful. I am currently detailing what happened to the Breach here."

Varric took out a bottle of wine he lifted from the tavern's storage earlier along with two mugs, pouring himself a drink and one for Eirai. "Not every day you meet a completely different kind of people."

Eirai smirked back as she took the offered mug to her. "Likewise, you are a dwarf and my world does not have people like you. The only similar species I'd say you look like is the Popori race-but you have human faces and much, much less hair." She then eyed his hairy chest from his robes. "Not that you don't have any hair, of course."

"Popori?" Varric raised a brow as he took a sip of the wine.

"Small, humanoid animal people."

Varric sniggered into his drink. "What a thing to be compared to. Rosy, you wound me."

"Rosy?"

"Your nickname. Solas is Chuckles, Cullen is Curly, and Quen is Frosty. It's a habit of mine."

"And what prompted such a label for me?"

"Your hair color reminds me of roses."

Eirai let out a laugh, taking a drink of her wine. It tasted like some of the other ales during her travels around Arborea. "And do my sisters have nicknames as well?"

Varric grinned. "Of course, I decided to go for a plant theme for you gals." He took a moment to laugh to himself. "Fitting since you did say you're Nature Spirits. Anyways, your youngest sister is dubbed 'Blueberry' and Eruno I call 'Apples'."

"Apples?"

"Her cheeks when she smiles."

Eirai was bemused by Varric at this point. "And Zyllian?"

Varric brought his hand to his chin in thought for a moment. "Sweet Pea." He concluded.

"Now I wouldn't have thought you'd think of her as 'sweet'."

The dwarf shrugged. "It makes an ironic nickname at the least."

The Elin chuckled in her mug, finishing her drink. The two went back to their writings for a while. Once Eirai had signed her letter, she ripped the inked pages from her notebook, rolling them up together. She then unscrewed the top off the cylinder from earlier and placed the rolled-up parchment inside the tube. The individual discs with the markings were then turned until there was a specific sequence of them between the two arrows on either end of the cylinder.

Placing her hands on either side of the tube, she closed her eyes and concentrated. The sequence of runes in the line began to glow for a few seconds. Once the runes stopped glowing, Eirai put the tube back into her bag.

Varric offered to pour her another drink, which she accepted. "Now what was that if I may ask?"

"A portable mailing device. It's the fastest way to send reports to my colleagues. All one has to do is input a little bit of their Willpower to activate it."

"Willpower?"

"A sub-form of magic. Everyone from Arborea is born with it. My archery skills in battle for example, involve a great use of it." She demonstrated by forming a solid rod of light in her hand that morphed into an arrow.

"I was meaning to ask about that too." Varric took a swig of his drink. "Your arrows were made of the light stuff, so that is…?"

"My Willpower, yes. Including the bowstring itself. Archers first learn to use a bow and arrow naturally before attempting to form a bowstring and projectile. Hence why I reach behind my back as if to draw one from a quiver. A personal habit which can be very useful if one's Willpower is not strong enough in a certain situation and one must resort to using actual arrows." The Elin then sighed as she diminished the projectile from her hands. "Which is a dilemma for my sisters and me right now actually. Being here away from our world is very limiting on our abilities. I can still form my own bowstring for my bow but I may have to rely on arrows made from the blacksmith here."

Varric shrugged. "Well sometimes things happen and you find yourself in a situation where you have to make do with what you have"

Eirai smirked. "Wise words to live by." She then proceeded to change the subject. "By the way, your crossbow was very interesting. May I have a look at it?"

"Bianca? Sorry Rosy, she's one of a kind so I'm kind of touchy about others touching her."

"You named your crossbow Bianca?" She laughed.

"Yep. My pride and joy."

The two continued to talk by the firelight, sharing small stories with one another.

* * *

 _"Come on, get up! You've been lying there for five minutes!" A boy's voice huffed._

 _"Let her be, Pilt! It takes her some time to fully materialize in the Dream." A girl's stern voice scolded back._

 _Erune's eyes opened slowly. She was lying in a meadow of grass and daisies. Looking up at the light blue sky, she spotted a few shapes amongst the clouds._

 _Carefully sitting upright, she looked over at Kiecey, the young elven girl with soft golden hair, who was continuing to reprimand Pilt, the human boy ignoring his friend._

 _The two then noticed Erune was awake and helped her to her feet. "Finally," Pilt grinned. "The others have been waiting for you!" He tugged her along, Kiecey following while shaking her head, a smile was across her face._

 _Erune was led to a grove of tall trees that stretched up towards the sky. She continued to follow the two children through the lush orchard until the three of them reached a pile of boulders surrounding a pool. An Amani boy sat atop one of the boulders, dangling his legs over the edge of the rock. A young Popori child was swimming in the water while a little human girl collected flowers that surrounded the pool._

 _Pilt called over to grab the attention of the three. The girl dropped her bouquet and ran over to hug Erune, her brownish blonde hair bouncing past her shoulders._

 _"You're here!" Anya beamed. "It's been so long!"_

 _Erune smiled back. "I'm so sorry, Anya. There has been much going on in the waking world."_

 _"Well," Jerdan stood up on the boulder, his scaled hands on his hips. "We have plenty of time for you to tell us all what has been happening."_

 _"But big sis Ruru was going to teach us some new songs!" Niyum protested as he rose from the pool, shaking the water from his tanned fur. "She promised she would the next time she came to see us!"_

 _Erune brought up her hands. "One thing at a time, everyone." She said gently. Smoothing out the bottom of her dress, she sat down on the grass. Jerdan scrabbled down the boulder to join the other children who all gathered to sit around Erune. "It would be best," She began. "If I explained what has been happening first…"_

 _As Erune wove her tale, the five children looked on with wide eyes and fascination. She told them of her sisters entering the Breach and walking through the Fade; exiting into another world and helping fight against various monsters to Erune helping the elven boy Quen close the large Rift for the time being; to the creation of the Inquisition. When she finished, Jerdan and Pilt began to ask the Elin questions about the new world. Kiecey even threw in some praise of her own to their Elin friend. Erune flushed, embarrassed by the attention._

 _Anya placed her hand on Erune's. "Eru," She said. "You should have more confidence in yourself. You've been working so hard."_

 _"Anya...thank you." Erune smiled back at her friends. "I try…" She then perked her head up. "Now, what song would you guys like to learn?"_

 _"Hmm…how about, a lullaby?" Kiecey thought aloud. Erune nodded, taking a deep breath to begin her song._

[ _Closing your eyes tightly shows a forest of dreams_

 _Go on and play all you want till the morning gleams_ ]

* * *

Quen tossed and turned on the mattress, sweat upon his face as his face contorted in pain amidst the nightmare he was having. The Mark on his hand flashed violently, its light flickering across the walls of the cabin. Green lines crawled up his arm like before after the Conclave. Frost began to form around his fingertips while the candle by his bedside sputtered to life and then blinked out before relighting itself again.

His mind was trapped, unable to escape the monstrosities that lingered there and chased him. Memories he wished not to relive.

In his nightmare, he let out a cry for help.

* * *

 _Erune paused in her singing, her cat ears twitching. "What's wrong?" Jerdan asked._

 _"I, I don't…I thought I heard someone in pain. But…" Her brow furrowed. "It doesn't seem like it's around here in this realm…" She rose to her feet. "The voice…it sounds like…his voice…"_

 _"Erune." Kiecey stood up with the rest of other children, each of them looking at her. "You have to go to him. It's the only way to help him."_

 _"But how?" The Elin asked the elven child._

 _"The first thing you have to do, is Wake Up."_

Erune jolted awake. Eruno was drooling onto the pillow with her large tail wrapped around the both of them; Zyllian was cuddling Eruno's tail while tucked into the blankets. Their eldest sister was missing from the room.

Untangling herself from the blankets and her twin sister's tail, she quietly slipped on her shoes and walked across the wooden floor to the door, opening it and stepping outside into the snow covered by the night sky.

* * *

Varric paused in what he was saying to Eirai, something catching his eye. "Hey Rosy,"

"Hm?"

"Any idea why Blueberry would be out at this hour?" Eirai followed his hand where he was pointing. She watched Erune sneak across the grounds of Haven towards one of the other houses, away from the cabin she and her sisters were staying in. The older Elin huffed. She collected her belongings and bid the dwarf a goodnight as she left to follow after her youngest sister.

She found her sister enter one of the small cabins. As Erune opened the door, a bright green light filled the doorway that then dimmed as the little Elin closed the door behind her. Eirai quickly went up to the house and yanked the door open, shielding her eyes from the bright light, this time also mixed with a soft blue.

As her eyes adjusted, she lowered her arm. Erune was sitting on the floor besides Quen's bed, holding his left arm. The Mark on the elf's arm was flaring up again, acting like before when he was trying to close the Breach. His body spasmed on the bed, Erune quickly trying to whisper soothing words as the soft blue glow of her healing magic flowed from her hands.

"Erune? What are you doing?" The young Elin jumped at her older sister's voice, turning her head.

"I...I heard him cry out for help...he's hurting again…" Erune whispered with a worried look on her face.

Eirai nodded and let her little sister continue in her work. Quen let out a gasp of pain as the Mark reacted with Erune's healing magic. The young Elin kept calm, letting a small hum dance from her lips. The humming eventually turned into a song. Eirai listened closely to the melody. It had been a song that Princess Rida taught her sister some time ago.

[ _If you're ever lost in the shadows of the thorns_

 _Always know that this hand is here to guide the way_ ]

As Erune continued to sing, the blue light began to soothe the Mark, its green light dimming.

* * *

 _Kiecey hummed the song Erune had taught them before she left. The young elf danced around in the grass, her stocking and shoes put to the side as she let her toes dig into the soft dirt._

[ _Cup your ears and listen close for the stars to chime_

 _As their bells ring through the night, see them sparkle bright_ ]

 _Anya watched her friend as she wove a flower chain. "You really like that song, huh?" Kiecey nodded, smiling. She continued to dance, wrapping her arms around herself, occasionally resting them over her stomach. She looked up to the blue sky dotted with clouds and butterflies and smiled._

* * *

 _Quen fell back in the dirt, the monsters drawing near. As he scrambled backwards, his back hit the remains of a broken wall. His eyes widened in fear, the moans of the disembodied creatures grew closer and closer._

 _Suddenly, everything stopped. Quen looked around, the monsters beginning to disperse into dust. A faint song could be heard. The tune was familiar, filling Quen with a sense of warmth and hope._

[ _Even if a dark fiend is chasing after you_

 _Do not be afraid of it as I am here for you_ ]

 _He remembered his mother humming a lullaby like this once to him when he was a child, holding him beside his father._

 _As his eyes closed in content, the dream world around him began to fade._

Quen woke with a start, the nightmares receding. He felt hands on his left arm. As he looked down, he saw Erune resting her head on the edge of his bed.

"She fell asleep. It was a lot of strain on her." He snapped his head up to see Eirai in the doorway, walking over to him. "Your Mark...was being erratic. You were obviously in pain physically and from the looks of it," She observed him closely. "Mentally."

"Why is she...?"

"I… I do not know...she said she heard you call for help and then came here." She was then silent, waiting for Quen to answer.

"It...It was a nightmare…" Quen finally said. He looked back at Erune. "Did she help me again?"

"Yes. She used her healing magic, and it seems your Mark has calmed down again." Eirai furrowed her brow as she brought her hand to her chin in thought. "I do not understand though what is happening and why."

"I have a theory…" The two turned back to the door, seeing Solas standing in the doorway. He held up his hands in surrender. "Apologies. I felt an increase in the Mark's magic and thus came to investigate. But it thankfully seems to no longer be an issue."

"What do you mean?" Eirai asked.

"The Mark is related to the Breach, which connects to your world and ours. Such is that it must be a strain on the Mark itself. Not only does Quen have to close the Rifts here, he is subsequently closing the Rifts in your world. There is an imbalance of power and that partially may have to do with the fact that Quen is not a mage. If he could wield magic, perhaps he would be able to handle the pressure of the Mark on his own.

I had tried using my own magic to help him but it was repelled. Somehow…" The apostate mage gestured at Erune. "Her magic acts as a converter, dispelling the Fade magic in the Mark...very fascinating...it would be in my best interest if I could study this further in the future if I may."

Eirai sneered. "That is for her to decide." She then knelt to help pick up Erune. "Anyways I should take her back."

"Wait." Quen sat up. "Is it...is it alright if she stays here?" He got up, looking for extra blankets and pillows in the room. "I do not want another experience of that again so…"

"That would be wise actually." Solas said. "Her presence seems to alleviate the symptoms of the Mark."

The elder Elin looked at the two of them before sighing in defeat. "Very well." She then helped tuck Erune in the makeshift bed on the floor beside Quen's bed.

Solas and Eirai then bade Quen a goodnight before closing the door of the cabin. Quen looked over the edge of the bed down at Erune's sleeping face.

She reminded him so much of his sister when she was young and... He shook his head, it hurt to think about that other little girl since she was long gone. He reached out to pet Erune's hair before falling asleep himself.

That morning when Quen woke up, he found the Elin snuggled by his side on the bed, holding his left hand.


End file.
